The Maze - Group 0
by guardianstar26
Summary: An au where before Group A and B there was a group of mixed genders with characters from both groups together in one Glade. From the POV of a girl called Claire, the Gladers take things down a path WICKED hadn't planned for. Why was the original experiment scrapped and why were the two groups eventually split into two?
1. The Box

My eyes shot open with a start only to find darkness. For a brief moment I wondered if I were blind before quickly dismissing it as something I'd deal with later. Stumbling to my feet, hands outstretched in search of anything that might keep me steady, I found a wall and quickly leant against it, trying to gain control over my mind which was spinning with a hazy, jumbled, disappearing swirl of confusing memories. I didn't try to reach for them. I let them fade into darkness. If they were going to leave, why not let them?

Pushing away the mess of my brain, I focused on the one thing I sensed I wouldn't forget: my name. Claire. Something about the name felt artificial and I found it hard to decide whether or not it was even my own name, but I had nothing else so it would have to do.

Suddenly the world of darkness spurred into action and, with a loud clank, I felt myself ascending into the unknown. Well I wasn't the one that was moving; it was whatever I was in. Slowly, keeping my hands on the wall to steady myself, I walked around the perimeter of the box that continued moving steadily upwards. I found nothing but crates and boxes as company. Frustrated with the lack of results, I reached up with my hands, expecting to find some sort of ceiling. I found none. 'It's probably just out of reach,' I thought bitterly. Unable to think of anything else to do, I slid down the closest wall and let out a loud sigh. Surprisingly, my voice wasn't as croaky as it probably should have been. That was what brought down a sudden barrage of questions that had been waiting to attack my increasingly confused mind.

'Where am I?', 'Why am I here?', 'How long have I been here?', 'How did I get here?', 'Where are all my memories?', 'Why can't I remember anything?', 'What's my last name?', 'Who are my parents?', 'Do I even have parents?', 'Why do I know what a cat is?', 'Have I ever even seen a cat?', 'I know what a cat looks like, so I must have seen one…why can't I remember?', 'Why the hell is this lift even moving?', 'Where is it taking me?', 'What will I find when I get there?', 'Oh God, I'm going to die, aren't I?'. After what felt like an eternity filled with unanswered questions and a never-ending throbbing in my head, I shoved all the questions and thoughts to the back of my mind, too afraid to deal with them. Unfortunately, the thoughts in my brain were too overwhelming and my head was beginning to feel unbearably hot.

Stumbling once again to my feet, I pounded at the walls to test their strength. They didn't even shudder. Panic began to set in as morbid thoughts swarmed my mind. Pressing my forehead against the cool metal, I let out a loud moan. "What am I supposed to DO?!" I yelled into the silence. The fact that there was no reply, not even an echo of my own voice, only fed my slowly building frustration. I was NOT going to die in some shitty box full of nothing but darkness and boxes. As if to emphasize this point, I kicked a nearby box. "What's even inside those boxes anyway?"

Before I could add to this new question in my mind, the box stopped with an unexpected jolt that made me fall over into a pile of small boxes. Cursing loudly, I attempted to gather myself and ended up crouching in one of the corners of the box. I found myself glaring at the ceiling, half expecting it to collapse for some unknown reason. For a long moment nothing happened and I began to wonder if the lift had broken and that I was actually going to die. Then, as if in response to that thought, searing light burst from the heavens and I let out a cry of pain. Shoving the palms of my hands into my eyes, I turned away from the light and shoved my head to the ground. After hours of darkness, I wasn't exactly prepared for such a sudden burst light. "At least I know I'm not blind," I wheezed, slowly splitting my fingers to allow my eyes to adjust.

After approximately half a minute, I dared to glance up at the ceiling…which had now been replaced by a bluish white that I assumed, and hoped, was the sky. After looking up, I noticed blurry black shapes surrounding the entrance to the box. Despite already squinting, I was somehow able to narrow my eyes in suspicion. 'Not good,' I thought, 'definitely not good.' All my morbid thoughts from within the darkness danced at the back of my mind and I felt fear setting in once more. For a moment I wished the box hadn't opened at all and the darkness seemed almost comforting compared to this world of unknown.

I lowered my head and looked at my surroundings. The box was smaller than I thought it had been and the metal was a dull grey colour. Boxes were littered messily around the floor, evidence of my stumbling about I assume. I glanced back up and noticed a sort of rope lower into the box. Confused, I stared at it stupidly. What on earth…? By this time my eyes were adjusted enough to realize those black blurry shapes had been the silhouettes of people. I wanted nothing to do with them and was seriously considering somehow hiding in the box and hoping the 'people' would go away, but my body moved on its own and before I knew it I was holding onto the rope-thing and was being pulled up and out of the box and into the world.

Once out, I grabbed blindly at the floor with my hands. Grass. I definitely wasn't underground anymore. I sensed a large amount of people around me, another dramatic change to hours of being alone. I could hear their voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. I didn't really want to know. I wanted to go away, away from the people. There were too many of them and an overwhelming panic was taking over my mind, making the fear I had felt in the box look like a jolly picnic. I needed to get away. I had to run. Fast.

Staggering to my feet, I shoved my way out of the crowd and bolted through open space. I glanced about myself long enough to collect several details on my surroundings. First, I was in a large field. Second, there weren't many people in front of me. I assumed most of them had crowded around the lift I'd come from. Third, there were massive walls surrounding me. In a panic, I thought there would be no escape and that I was trapped once again, but then I noticed a gap in one of the walls. A way out. Freedom. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, I ran faster than I thought was possible, my legs propelling me forward at an almost alarming speed. I could hear voices yelling at me from behind but I ignored them and focused entirely on that gap. I was almost there now, a few more seconds and I'd be fre-

Pain exploded in my right side and I felt myself sailing through the air. A moment later I crashed to the ground. Letting out a yell of surprise and anger, I scrambled to my feet, eager to make another dash for the gap in the wall. But before I could take even one step, I was tackled by a large shape, presumably a person, and was quickly pinned to the ground. I felt my arms being pulled behind me and my face was shoved into the ground, a large weight on my back keeping me to the floor. I struggled with all my strength, but could sense an incredible gap in strength between myself and my captor. Deciding it was a useless waste of energy to struggle, I lay limp on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Good job, Gally!" Someone yelled behind us. I attempted to turn my head to see who had spoken, but was held in place by the person on top of me.

"Nothin' to it," the person, Gally, grunted. "She's got some good legs, though. Never would've made it in time if I hadn't been where I was. It's a good thing I decided not to join the meet 'n' greet greenie time."

"Indeed," a third voice chimed in, this one softer than the other two, "she'd make a good runner."

"No she wouldn't," Gally muttered. "She hasn't got the brains for it. She wasn't even looking for danger, just running blindly for the doors."

"I wasn't being serious," the soft voice replied dejectedly, "I'm just saying she's fast."

"Shut up, the both of you!" This voice was the first one that had spoken to Gally; it held a level of authority that made me shudder. I heard the footsteps of a large amount of people coming in this direction and I felt panic renew in my head. I began struggling again, not wanting to be surrounded by such a large group of people. Well, I didn't really want to be around anyone at all but I could sense that I wasn't being given the choice.

As if sensing my panic, the male voice, whom I assumed was the leader, turned and began yelling at the crowd of people. "Everyone get back to work! You know the drill; give the Greenie some space so she doesn't run off again! Newt, Bonnie, get over here!" I heard audible moans and groans in the distance and almost felt like laughing at their obvious dismay. I wasn't going to argue though, I didn't particularly want anyone around and there was still a very real sense of panic floating around in my mind.

I heard two sets of footsteps approaching and shifted nervously below Gally. "You're not gonna run again, are you?" Sensing he was expecting an answer, I shook my head slightly despite my face still being firmly set in dirt.

"Bloody hell, Gally, is that really necessary?" This was a male's voice I didn't recognize. I assume it was the 'Newt' guy that the leader asked for earlier.

Gally's grip on the back of my head loosened slightly. "I'm just taking precautions," he said in an almost bored tone. For some reason that tone annoyed me but I didn't say anything.

I heard a few footsteps and suddenly there was a boy crouched to the left of my head. It was the leader. "My name is Alby, I'm the leader of these shuck-Gladers. The guy on top of you is Gally. If he lets you up I can introduce you to some of my friends." Suddenly I was pulled off of the ground by Gally and set into a sitting position, my hands still held behind my back. To be honest, I wasn't as overly eager to escape anymore but I let Gally take his extra precautions anyway. I turned and looked at Alby, getting my first good look at him. He was surprisingly younger than I thought he'd be, about 15 by the looks of it. He was dark skinned and had short cropped hair, his face showing a sort of scowl that looked like it would never be removed. It was slightly intimidating, but I didn't let it show.

Alby pointed at a girl standing to my right, another dark skinned girl with hair cut almost to her scalp. "This is Harriet, she's-"

"I'm also the leader of the slintheads. Leader of the girls to be precise," she flashed me a smile and, judging by her voice, she was the girl I'd heard speak earlier, the one that had argued with Gally.

Before I could use that fact to judge her leadership skills, Alby coughed to grab my attention after Harriet's interruption. "Thank you, Harriet. Moving on, this guy here," he gestured to a tall, muscular, blonde boy standing next to Harriet, "is Newt. He's my second in command." Newt watched me carefully, as if trying to decide whether or not I'd bite if he tried to say hello.

"And this," Harriet said interrupted once again, "is Bonnie." She clasped the shoulders of a girl with dark brown hair standing on the other side of Harriet. "She's my second in command, my female Newt."

"I'm not your female Newt," she said quickly, shooting Harriet a glare.

Harriet raised her arms in surrender, "Alright, I accept defeat." Alby was glaring at them disapprovingly but I somehow found their casual attitude comforting and could feel my muscles relaxing and my breathing steady. Gally also seemed to notice my newfound calm and slowly let go of my arms and stepped back. I looked up at him, rubbing my wrists. He was tall and skinny with black hair and green eyes that watched me carefully, like he didn't quite trust me not to suddenly run off again. For some reason his nose reminded me of a potato and I had to hold back the urge to laugh at that thought.

"-your name?" I turned back to Alby, realizing he had asked me a question, and gave him a look which told him I hadn't been listening.

He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "Your name, Greenie, do you remember your name?"

I blinked in surprise, I hadn't even thought about my name since I'd first woken up in the box. It was the only thing I could remember. I opened my mouth to tell them but for some reason the words wouldn't come out. I didn't trust these people. They seemed nice, but I didn't trust them. How could I? What reason had they given me to trust them? I wasn't going to give away my name. It was all I had and I had no intention of giving it away just yet.

In response to his question, I shook my head, attempting to act as though I couldn't remember. Alby gave me a long hard look, one that told me he knew I was withholding information. He didn't seem too bothered by it though. "Don't worry; not everyone remembers the moment they wake up. Sometimes it takes a day or two. You'll remember it eventually, though. It's the one thing they let us keep."

Alby's words confused me and my mind overwhelmed with questions, even more than there had been when I'd woken up in the box. I decided to start with the most obvious one. "Where am I?"

"This place is what we call the Glade," the girl called Harriet said calmly, looking slightly more serious now. "Hey, Bonnie, why don't you get Lorna and take our new Greenie on the tour? We'll do all the serious stuff while you're gone."

Bonnie looked relatively unhappy with this turn of events but turned and ran off to find whoever this Lorna person was.

"Serious stuff?" I asked, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Our rules," Gally spoke from behind, startling me, "our rules that you cannot break under any circumstances if you want what's best for you."

"Don't scare the girl, Gally," Newt said, still watching me, "she's not gonna go breaking rules every five seconds."

"She tried to break one the moment she stepped out of the Box," Gally retorted.

"She doesn't know the bloody rules yet, shuckface! That's why we're talking now."

"Can someone tell me what the freakin' rules are?" I snapped, annoyed.

"We have three of them," Harriet continued, her voice steady. "Rule One: Everyone does their part. We don't need any slackers in the Glade. Rule Two: Never hurt another Glader. That includes sexual harassment or assault of any kind, okay? We need to trust each other. Finally, Rule Three: Never go outside the Glade."

I glanced back at the gap in the walls with narrowed eyes. "Why aren't we allowed to leave?"

"Because it's dangerous, stupid Greenie," Gally growled. "What more reason do you need?"

Gally's attitude was seriously starting to tick me off. "Why is it dangerous?"

"You'll find out later," Alby interrupted, looking at something far off. "You'll learn the answers to all your annoying questions in time. For now, let Bonnie and Lorna give you a tour of the Glade." With that, he got to his feet and stomped off. After a short pause, Newt followed him. Gally had already disappeared.

Harriet let out a loud sigh to relieve the tension that had built up. "Boys are so serious aren't, they? It's a good thing there are girls around here, otherwise this place would be no fun at all." She glanced over her shoulder and smiled, "Here come your guides. I'll be off then, I have a lot of work to do, but you can trust these guys. Believe me when I tell you that. I have a feeling you're gonna be stuck with them for a while." She gave me a wink and walked off, humming a tune, leaving me confused and mildly concerned for my future.


	2. The Tour

Bonnie arrived about a minute later with a girl I didn't recognize. She had light brown hair, blue eyes and a face sprinkled with freckles. She gave me a weird look that made me realize I was still sitting awkwardly on the floor. I stood up quickly, wiping some dust and dirt off my clothes. I was wearing denim skinny jeans and a plain grey shirt with a black hoodie. The dark colours seemed kind of gloomy but considering how dirty I was already it might actually be a good thing to wear colours where that kind of thing wouldn't stand out. 'Why am I even worrying about clothes in this situation? I'm in a confusing place with confusing people, no memories of my past or who I am and no way of escaping except through dangerous doors that lead to dangerous places.' I was a lot calmer than I probably should've been considering the situation. I should probably thank my ability to shove all my thoughts to a corner of my mind and ignore them excessively. Was that even a good thing? Probably not.

"This is Lorna," I heard Bonnie say, interrupting my thoughts. "She's my trustworthy companion and best friend in the Glade. Lorna, this is the new Greenie that almost ran herself into the maze and got rugby tackled by Gally."

"I saw," Lorna replied with a smile. "You made quite the scene. I haven't seen a Greenie run like that for a long time."

"Why does everyone keep calling me Greenie?" I asked. I didn't particularly hate it, but it confused me.

"Well you can't remember your name can you? Besides, it's what we call all the new people when they first arrive in the box." Bonnie pointed over to a square hole in the ground which must've been the box. Had I really run that far?

"New people come up in the box every month," Lorna explained. "Once a week it brings new supplies and once a month it brings a new Greenie. This month's new Greenie is you."

I nodded slowly, mentally ticking a few things off of my list of things I was confused about. "Who sends us up here?"

Lorna shrugged, "Who knows? The word 'WICKED' is written on the supplies that come up in the box and according to our Runners it's written out in the Maze, but other than that, we have no clue."

'WICKED'? 'Maze'? Two new words in my world. "What's the Maze?"

Bonnie sighed, "Listen, Green bean, I can tell you have a lot of questions that would take us days to sort through and give you answers for. For now, just let Lorna and I give you the tour of the Glade and you can ask us questions AFTER. Okay?"

I frowned momentarily before nodding. "Okay."

"Atta girl," Bonnie grinned, hooking her arm around mine and pulling me along. "Let's show you around then."

I let Bonnie drag me around the Glade with Lorna and they explained things to me, talking almost non-stop. I looked around the Glade, observing more now that I was finally walking. It was massive, about the size of several football fields, and square shaped with a clearing in the middle and a heavily wooded area in the South West corner. The sun was currently up but it wasn't particularly warm or uncomfortable. It was that sort of 'just right' temperature where you don't feel relatively hot nor cold. There were giant walls surrounding the perimeter of the Glade and I noticed that there wasn't just one opening in the walls, but four. There were four openings, one on each wall, leading outside into what I learnt to be called the Maze.

"There are a few buildings scattered around the Glade," Lorna told me. "In the North West side we have the two Homesteads, one for the guys and one for the girls. We would have liked to build them further apart but there wasn't much room to build homestead anywhere else. The other corners are occupied by the Gardens, the Bloodhouse and the Deadheads. The Homestead is where we sleep and behind them is the Slammer, which is kind of like a jail cell I guess."

"Next to that, in the North East side," Bonnie continued for Lorna, "are the Gardens." She pointed to a set of fields in the far corner. "That's where we grow our crops and water is pumped. It doesn't rain in the Glade, you see. The only change in the skies is night and day. It's never particularly cloudy, never rains, there isn't even a seasonal difference. We've only been here for a little over a year but that's more than enough to realize there's no change. There are rumours that the whole sky is artificial and that we're living in a world controlled entirely by the Creators."

"The Creators?" I asked.

Lorna elbowed her. "Moron, now she's confused again. The Creators are what we call the people who put us here. The guys that sent us up in the box, the guys that send us supplies, the guys that apparently control the skies, those guys." She gave me a look that told me not to bother asking about it, that it was the least of my concerns. I accepted it and waited for Bonnie to continue with the tour.

"Anyway, yeah, that's the Gardens over there. Now, over in the South East corner is the Bloodhouse. That's a nasty place where our animals are raised and…well…slaughtered. It's not nice; I doubt you'll want to work there. Last but not least are the Deadheads, in the South West corner of our Glade. Nothing really happens over there, it's just a bunch of trees." She gestured to the small forest area in the corner.

"Bonnie, you forgot the Map Room," Lorna murmured.

"Oh! Right, yeah, you see that stone box/room/thing over there?" She pointed to a long stone building behind where the Box was located. I could see a heavy looking lock on the door from where we were that made me wonder what could be inside. "That's the Map Room. It's where the Runners go after they run in the Maze."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "I thought we weren't allowed outside the Glade."

"We're not, but the Runners aren't like us. It's their job to specifically go into the Maze and look for a way out."

I nodded slowly. "So what do you guys work as?"

Lorna cleared her throat. "Well I work with the Track-Hoes. We work in the Gardens doing the tilling, weeding, planting and harvesting."

"I'm one of the Cooks," Bonnie added. "I may be Harriet's advisor of sorts, but I still need a job right? Even Newt is a Runner."

"Newt's a Runner?" I stared, surprised, for some reason unable to grasp the idea that I'd already come into contact with a Runner and for it to have been Newt.

Bonnie nodded, "He's one of our best. Tomorrow you're going to start trying out for various jobs in the Glade. As per Rule One we can't have any slackers in the Glade. There are about 10 jobs in the here. First are the Builders and the Bricknicks, they build new places in the Glade and upgrade old ones as well as repairing anything broken. Gally, whom you know so well, is the Keeper of the Builders."

"Every group of workers has a Keeper for that specific job," Lorna explained. "For example, I'm the Keeper of the Track-Hoes. I'm in charge of giving my workers their jobs and keeping everything in order when it comes to the Gardens."

"Next lot is the Baggers," Bonnie continued as if Lorna had never spoken. "They're a nasty lot. They act as guards and deal with any…uh…bodies that might happen to come up."

"So basically when people die, they're the ones that deal with the dead bodies?" I summarized for her.

She coughed. "Well, yeah. Anyway, after that are the Slicers, they work in the Bloodhouse and take care of the animals and slaughter them for food, food which is sent to our Keeper of the Cooks, Frypan. The Cooks take care of our meals; it's an extremely important job. Then there are our two Med-Jacks, Maria and Clint. You'll try out for all these jobs over the next several days, and then you'll choose which one you're best at and stick with it."

"What about being a Runner?"

"What?"

"You didn't tell me about the Runners. What if I want to be a Runner?"

Lorna laughed, "You don't choose to be a Runner, Greenie. You've got to be chosen for that job. They're our fittest and fastest, our smartest and most daring. They have to be our best because it's a dangerous job being a Runner. One false move, one wrong turn, and you're lost. If you don't make it back to the Glade before those doors close then you're stuck out there for the night and no one, I repeat no one, has ever survived a night in the Maze."

"Are you trying to scare me out of wanting to be one?" I asked, frowning.

"A little, but can you blame me? I don't want our beautiful new Greenbean running herself into danger and getting killed. You may be fast on your feet, but it speed is only a fraction of what it takes to be a runner. Your brain box is what matters."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Alright, kids, that's enough. I'm starving, so let's go grab some food from Frypan. I was allowed off of work today to guide the new Greenie but I won't be given that pleasure twice. Let's go." She grabbed Lorna and I by our arms and began pulling us in the direction of the kitchen.

"Hey, Bonnie!" A voice called out from behind a make shift kitchen once they arrived.

"Hey, Fry," Bonnie replied in a cheerful voice. "I brought the new Greenie with me." The boy, Frypan, turned towards us but didn't stop stirring a large pot that was sitting on a rather suspicious looking stove. The stove was attached to a wooden bar that was made in an L shape. There were several boys dotted around various tables, eating soup. Frypan was an African American boy with a full beard and black hair sticking out everywhere on his body. "I hope the new Greenie likes chicken stew, 'cause that's what she's getting."

I heard Lorna groan loudly next to me. "Really, chicken stew again?"

"Hey, you get what you're given or you don't get anything!"

"I don't really care, I just want to eat," I muttered quietly, hunger finally setting in like a rabid dog.

"That's the spirit," Frypan beamed. "Everyone calls me Frypan. What's your name, Greenie?"

I once again hesitated to reveal my name. These guys were certainly nice people, I'd have to be blind not to see that, but I didn't want to join their friendship parade. I wasn't sure what it was, but I could feel a wall between myself and these people and I wasn't ready to tear it down. So, again, I shook my head. "I don't know yet. Apparently I'll remember it later."

Frypan nodded, understandingly. "Alright, then for now I'll call you Greenie." He filled a bowl with chicken stew and handed it to me. "Enjoy your meal, Greenie."

I gave him a quick thank you smile and took my meal to an empty nearby table. Bonnie and Lorna soon joined me and together we ate in silence. "Greetings, fellow humans," a voice suddenly came from behind me, causing me to almost choke on my stew. Two boys joined us at our table, one, a lanky dark haired guy with brown eyes, took a seat next to Lorna and gave her a quick kiss (they must be a couple), and the other, a brown eyed boy with a fluff of dark hair and a sort of circular head, sat next to me. I shot him a glare that told him not to sit too close to me and continued eating. "Does she have a thing for personal space or does she just hate me?" The boy next to me asked, apparently unhappy with my response.

"Both," the tall boy next to Lorna laughed, earning himself a glare from the first boy.

Bonnie cleared her throat, "These two happen to be our friends. The one next to you is Callum and the one next to Lorna is Felix. Lorna and Felix are dating." She winked at me suggestively and I had to fight the urge to laugh.

"And I am forever alone," Callum said sadly, faking tears.

"Being unable to find a girlfriend should be the least of your worries," Bonnie snorted. "Have you forgotten the situation we're in?"

Callum shrugged, "But you get used to it eventually. I mean sure I'd like to know who I was before but at the moment, things aren't exactly terrible are they? We're alive, aren't we?"

"For now," Lorna said darkly.

An uncomfortably silence fell over the table and everyone ate in silence. I quickly finished my meal and stood up. "I'm going to walk around on my own for a bit, you guys continue eating in awkward silence." I took my empty bowl and silverware to a rusty looking sink in the kitchen and left them there as I had observed another girl do a few minutes ago. I took my time walking around the Glade, going to each spot and going over the things I had learnt in my head. My questions had been minimized to the few that seemed to plague most common Gladers anyway. Things like 'Who sent us here and why?', 'What's in the Maze?' and so on. I let out a loud sigh, unable to decipher all the confusing thoughts and feelings inside me.

"That was a vaguely depressing sigh," I heard someone chuckle behind me. I rolled my eyes, what was it with everyone sneaking up on me today? I turned around and was surprised by who stood in front of me. "Have a fun first day, Greenie?" Newt asked with a small smile on his lips.

"Uh, yeah I guess. If this is what fun is."

"Well you're doing a lot better than most Greenies. They generally end up crying in a corner over lost memories and so on. I can tell you don't trust us, but that's also normal for most Greenies. The fact that you're so calm about everything is what makes you different. Well, that and the fact that you aren't cowering in some corner refusing to talk or look at anyone."

I thought back to the emotions I'd felt when I first got out of the box and shook my head. "No, my thoughts were full of similar things. When the Box first opened, I wanted nothing more than for it to close and let me be in darkness. The unknown was terrifying and I just wanted to hide in a corner and wait for all my troubles to go away, but my body sort of just moved on its own and then I was out on the grass and all I could think to do was run 'cause I was so damn terrified and I have no idea why I'm telling you this. I shouldn't be telling you this."

Newt frowned in confusion, "Why not?"

"Because it makes me look weak. I need to assume I'm always in danger, I can't let people know my weaknesses."

"Good point, not that it's really necessary but your decisions are understandable given the situation you're in."

I shook my head, "I don't understand anything about this place. I mean, I do. I know the Glade and how it functions, but I don't understand what we're doing here. I don't get it. All the confusion is building up in my head and all I can really make out is this overwhelming need to get out. Out of here…" I glanced at the openings that led into the Maze. If Lorna and Bonnie were right about there being doors that closed every night, which I found myself doubting because those stone walls looked like they hadn't moved a millimeter in hundreds of years, then they were going to close soon. I'd be trapped again.

Newt nodded, "I understand how you feel. We all feel what you're feeling to some degree, but not all of us can handle the Maze. We can't just let people go running around out there because they're feeling a little claustrophobic, do you understand?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes off the openings. "I understand, but even so what would it take for me to be chosen as a Runner?"

Newt let out an exasperated sigh. "Well you'd have to prove yourself to us. It's no easy feat becoming a Runner. After catching our eyes, we'd hold a Gathering to discuss whether or not you should become a Runner. Only then, and if Alby and Harriet agree, would you become a Runner."

"Would my running catch your eye?" I asked.

Newt laughed, "You're definitely bloody fast, Greenie, but that's hardly enough to become a Runner."

"Claire."

"What?"

"Claire, that's my name."

"Is it?"

I rolled my eyes, "No, it's Sebastian. Of course it's Claire!"

Newt raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, Gre- I mean Claire. I just wasn't expecting you to open up so quickly. You were keeping it a secret right?"

I nodded slowly. "I guess getting called Greenie all the time was beginning to bug me."

A loud boom echoed through the Glade and I jumped, startled by the sound. Newt watched me, amused. "Doors are closing, Claire." My eyes darted to the nearest opening. One side of the opening was moving towards the other, closing the gap between them steadily. I looked at the other doors; the same thing was happening everywhere, the left side closing in on the right. I ran closer to the nearest door to get a closer look, my eyes wide with awe.

"How is this even possible…?" I murmured to myself, not really expecting a response.

"Well you can ask the Creators when we finally find a way out of this bloody maze," Newt chuckled, standing a few feet to my right.

"I'll try to remember," I replied quietly, still staring at the doors as they finally closed with a satisfying boom. After a brief moment, I ran over to the now closed door and brushed my hand along the seam where the two rocks connected. "Why do the doors close?"

Newt shrugged, "To keep the Grievers away? Did Lorna and Bonnie not explain the Grievers to you?" I shook my head. He sighed, "Well, Grievers are sort of like monsters made to guard the Maze, maybe to keep us from getting out. They come out at night, when the doors are closed, so we're safe from them as long as we're all inside the Maze before those doors shut."

I nodded slowly. "I understand a few more things now, though I still want to be a Runner. I won't stay trapped inside these walls forever."

Newt smirked, "That's the spirit! Now you should go and get some rest, you'll be working with the Slicers first thing tomorrow."

I grimaced, "Oh boy, slaughtering animals, my favourite activity."

"Whoa there, any more sarcasm and you'll rival Minho!"

I rolled my eyes, "I doubt it. I'm sure this Minho person is the Queen of Sass compared to me."

"He'd probably prefer to be called the King of Sass."

"Well he's a Queen nonetheless."

"Greenie!" I turned my head to see Lorna waving at me in the distance. "Come on! I need to show you where you'll be sleeping tonight!"

"You'd better go. Have fun slicing."

I nodded and turned away from him without replying, fast-pacing my way to Lorna's side, not once looking back


	3. The Builders

Over the next few days I calmed down considerably. I wasn't suspicious of the Gladers anymore, though I did my best to keep to myself. I discovered that I wasn't exactly a people person, though I enjoyed being in their presence, and found it hard to hold a conversation with anyone other than my new friends, Bonnie and Lorna. It took me a while to adjust to the Glade. I did jobs as I was told, of course, but hadn't particularly enjoyed any of them. I guess the Track-Hoes were the easiest option, but oh Lord my legs couldn't take that much crouching and crawling. I don't know how Lorna does it every day!

Today I was going to work with the Builders. I was a little nervous because I hadn't spoken to Gally since the day he stopped me from running into the Maze. 'I should probably thank him for that,' I thought grudgingly, 'even if I did get a face full of dirt in the process.'

I decided to take my first shower since coming to the Glade. I had been avoiding it so far because there was only one shower area for some reason and I always got confused about which days the girls had their showers. I asked Lorna to come with me, just in case.

"You're FINALLY having a shower! You started to smell really bad yesterday; you've made a wise decision."

"Thanks," I replied, shooting her a playful glare. "I'm so glad you like my scent."

"Oh yes, you smell like roses, of course. Now hurry up! I want you nice and clean before you get dirty again with the Builders." She pushed me into the shower tent. It was empty at the moment because we'd woken up a few hours before anyone else. "You really should've asked Bonnie to go with you; she's always up earlier than anyone."

"Bonnie's busy," I reminded her. It was easy to forget that Bonnie was actually Harriet's advisor of sorts, given her playful and even child-like nature. It was something she and Lorna shared.

Rolling her eyes, Lorna climbed into the tent and followed me to the showers. The shower tent basically consisted of a large open area with water hoses hanging from the ceiling. There weren't any cubicles, which was kind of disturbing but I guess I'd have to get used to it. The others have been using these for months, so it can't be overly terrible.

Turning on the showers, Lorna and I stripped and stepped under the showers. The water was cool and I yelped at the contact, causing Lorna to laugh. "Don't worry, it only feels cold at first. You get used to it after a minute and then it feels fine."

"I'm going to freeze to death," I gasped, stepping away from the water.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen," Lorna chided me and pulled me back under. I forced myself to stay this time, doing my best not to run off again, but Lorna had actually been right. After about half a minute the water began to feel satisfactory. I let out a sigh of relief that I wouldn't die of pneumonia and began rubbing the dirt out of my hair. Lorna grabbed a nearby bottle of shampoo and handed it to me. "You're gonna need this."

I smiled my thanks and accepted the bottle; squeezing a glob of the shampoo into my hand I began rubbing it furiously into my hair. It took three rounds of smothering my hair in shampoo and washing it out again to get my hair clean, turning it into a slightly dark blonde colour. 'Under all that dirt I thought my hair was brown,' I thought, running a hand through my hair. It was still knotty because I hadn't used any conditioner yet, but it was a thousand times better than it had been before.

Sensing my need, Lorna handed me a bottle of conditioner. She'd already finished her shower and was working on drying her hair with her towel. "I'm basically finished, but do you want me to wait outside for you?"

I shook my head, rubbing the conditioner into my hair. "No, you go on ahead. I'm almost done too anyway." I rubbed the conditioner into my hair, careful to avoid my scalp, and enjoyed the feel of the knots coming loose. My hair felt almost silky now, or was it just the water?

I washed the conditioner out of my hair and turned off the shower. It felt so good to be clean! Even if I was about to get dirty again in my next job, I could still enjoy this moment on cleanliness. I sighed happily and quickly dried myself off with a towel and pulled on my clothes. Walking out of the shower tent, still rubbing my hair dry with my towel, I found Lorna waiting for me. She flashed me a grin, "I know you said not to wait for you but I absolutely had to see what your hair looked like all clean and dry!"

Before I could argue, she grabbed my head and inspected my hair. "Whoa! It's blonde! All that dirt made it look brown! You're a whole new girl, a pretty one at that." She winked at me and I shoved her away.

"Remember you have a boyfriend," I laughed. "I don't think he'd appreciate you running off with another girl."

"It's open for discussion. Now let's go get some breakfast, Bonnie and Frypan made cheese on toast today, I can smell it." She was right; a delicious smell of melted cheese was wafting over from the kitchens. I could see boys and girls scrambling about to get some. Everyone loves cheese on toast. Lorna looked suspiciously at my blank expression. "If you say you don't like cheese on toast I will seriously reconsider my friendship with you."

I laughed. "No, no, it smells wonderful. I can't remember ever eating the stuff, but judging by how much I love the smell I'm gonna love the taste."

Lorna beamed, "Atta girl! Let's go get some before it disappears!" She immediately started running towards the kitchen and I followed, overtaking her quickly and making it to the kitchen long before her.

"Claire!" Bonnie's voice came from the kitchen, she was handing out plates of cheese on toast to people with some other cooks. "You look so clean! Come grab some cheese on toast, I saved you a piece I made myself." She pulled out two plates of food, one for me and one for Lorna. "I'll join you when my job is finished."

I nodded happily, eager to dig into my meal. I handed one of the plates to Lorna as she arrived, panting heavily. We sat opposite Callum and Felix on a table in the far corner. "Howdy hoes," I chirped, taking a large mouthful of my toast. Oh my God, it was heavenly – like someone had given me the serum of eternal life. "Oh my Lord, this is the greatest thing I've eaten in my entire life. I know that even without my memories."

"Someone really likes cheese on toast," Callum chuckled.

"Yes, I do really like cheese on toast," I confirmed, my mouth still full of bread and cheese.

"Slow down, Claire, do you want to choke to death?" Lorna laughed, poking my side.

"At this point, I don't care," I mumbled through my food.

"That's not a pleasant thing to say," a voice I didn't recognize said. I looked over my shoulder to see a girl with reddish blonde hair and alarmingly pale skin. She was sitting on a table with Newt and an Asian boy with short black hair whom I hadn't spoken to before. "You should try to be less depressing."

I glared at her, "What's it to you if I sound depressing or not?" What was her problem?

"I just don't want to hear that kind of talk so early in the morning," she said calmly. "It'll ruin the cheese on toast that you appear to be enjoying perfectly well."

I realized I was still talking with my mouth full and quickly swallowed my food, my face heating up. "Well it IS delicious."

The girl smiled suddenly, "That I can agree with." She held out her hand, "My name's Sonya."

I hesitated momentarily before slowly accepting her hand. "I'm Claire."

Newt raised his eyebrows, "You're a bit more open about your name now, aren't you, Greenie?"

I shot him a glare, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

He grinned innocently, "Old habits die hard."

The Asian boy suddenly stood up. "The doors are going to open soon, let's go." Newt and Sonya nodded and followed him, bidding me a quick farewell.

I turned to lorna, "Who's the guy in the blue shirt?"

"Hm? Oh, that guy's Minho, the keeper of the Runners. I'm surprised you didn't know, considering how obsessed you are with Runners."

"I've never seen him before," I said quietly, my eyes following the group as they ran towards the maze doors. "Was that like the Runner's table?"

Lorna nodded. "There are three other Runners in the Glade besides them, but they say that isn't enough, that they need more in order to explore the maze to its full extent. They say they're close to solving it, but I don't believe that for a second."

"So they need more Runners?"

"Yeah, but don't go throwing yourself at them! They'll come to you if they think you're worth it, but don't you dare go trying to get Minho to make you a Runner."

I raised my hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I promise I won't do anything stupid. Anyway, I should probably find Gally and see what sort of job he has for me today." I finished my food and left Lorna with Callum and Felix. I handed my empty plate to Bonnie and ran off to look for my boss for today.

I had to ask around for a few minutes before I finally found him outside Homestead, discussing something with the other Builders. I ran up to the group and stood there silently, waiting for someone to notice my arrival. A tall dark haired boy was the first to realize I was here. "Hey, Gally," he called out uncertainly, "the new Greenie's here…"

Several heads turned to look at me; Gally's head was one of them. "I can see that. What do you want, Greenie?"

I cleared my throat, "Uh…I'm supposed to work here today." I shifted nervously under Gally's expressionless gaze. I could sense that he was still suspicious of me, for whatever reason. Was he still mad about what happened when I first got out of the box? 'Man, this guy sure knows how to hold a grudge if that's what it is…'

After a moment, Gally nodded. "Muriel, you keep an eye on the Greenie, make sure she doesn't break a leg or hurt herself."

"I'm not an idiot," I growled, annoyed by his attitude, "I'm not going to get hurt unless it's by the fault of someone else, that I can guarantee."

Gally raised an eyebrow, "Is that right, Greenie? We'll see after you handle a day's work with the Builders. Come on, there's a lot of work to do."

Surprisingly, being a Builder wasn't as difficult as I'd imagined. I hadn't been entirely convinced by my own words when I told Gally I'd be fine, but I felt relatively at ease with the work. I mean, sure, it was no easy task and required a lot of hard work, but I almost enjoyed it compared to the other jobs I'd done so far. As for Gally, he wasn't soft on me either. He gave me jobs that weren't easier than the other Builder's, but it wasn't to be mean. I could sense he was genuinely testing my strength to see how I'd fare as a Builder. He was a surprisingly good leader, considering his rather arrogant nature.

'Maybe I should choose to be a Builder,' I mused while chopping wood with Muriel. It wasn't a bad idea. I wasn't particularly fond of being around Gally every day but he wasn't as terrible as I'd initially believed, he's just an arrogant little shank with the nose of a potato.

"Do you hate this place," Muriel asked me suddenly. I stopped chopping for a moment to think about it, and then continued.

"I guess so. There's a false sense of security in the air that comes with everyday life. We have a routine and make things almost feel normal, like this world is bearable. The truth of the matter is that we're trapped. Trapped in a Maze to run around like mice searching for cheese, you know? The Runners are the ones that are closest to freedom but even then we're all trapped. When I first came out of the box, the moment I realized there were walls was almost crushing. It was like someone had given me a false taste of freedom by making me believes for a second that I was free, and then I realized I was still in a box; this one was just bigger than the last."

Muriel considered my words for a long time but never replied. We continued with only the sound of chopping wood to fill the silence.


	4. The Greenie

Obviously, I became a Builder. It was decided a few days later once I'd completed all my job try-outs. It's not like I'd been particularly terrible at the others, though I made an effort to express my distaste for the Baggers and the Slicers, but I guess Muriel must have mentioned to Gally that I'd actually enjoyed my work there. I also discovered a mild artistic talent that I wasn't sure what to do with, so I ended up being entrusted with various delicate jobs, involving carving and so on, as well as my usual load of heavy work. Time went on surprisingly quickly as I gradually settled myself into a routine. I could feel myself beginning to settle quite comfortably into my surroundings. There wasn't a lot to be happy about, which shouldn't be surprising, but I felt relaxed and found myself enjoying the time I spent with my circle of friends.

I noticed that there were quite a few couples in the Glade, including Lorna and Felix. It seemed fairly natural but I frequently found myself feeling sorry for them. What future could the Glade offer them? I wasn't planning on staying in this place forever, but what would come to be when we finally escape? Would it even be better outside than within? These doubts didn't make me any less determined to find a way out, but what about them? Maybe they'd resigned to the fact that they would never escape and were happy to live the rest of their lives inside the Glade. We were all young, maybe even too young for that kind of serious thinking, but someone must be thinking about it like I was.

I often wondered if I would ever let myself fall into a relationship with another person. I was quite reluctant, not wanting to drag anyone into something that probably wouldn't last long anyway. It didn't really matter; there was no one in the Glade I felt romantic attachment to yet anyway. There was a definite possibility of those emotions falling to me in the future, but for now I was safe. There were certain boys in the Glade that were rather handsome and probably would have caught my eye if not for their personality or bad manners that seemed to plague most boys. Maybe I was just too young…

One evening I found myself taking a walk in the Deadheads. I often went there in the early evening after working with the Builders. People rarely went there except for the occasional couple making a weak attempt at a date. That day, I was alone, a peaceful silence settled, disturbed only by the distant commotion of the Glade and the sounds of snapping twigs as I made my way down my usual path. I quickly found what I had been searching for, a reasonably large tree, what kind I didn't know, and quickly began to climb it. About three quarters of the way up I stopped and settled myself onto a large branch, my back leaning against the trunk. I pulled out a small pocket knife I used for work and began carving various things into the tree. There were various other carvings dotted about the tree, evidence of a sort of hobby I'd developed. I carved various images of animals; from where I knew them I didn't know. I was halfway through drawing what I assumed was a dragon when I noticed someone standing below me, watching in silence.

Rolling my eyes, I put away my knife and hurried down the tree. "What is it, Newt?"

The boy grinned at me, "So THIS is where you come every evening? I always see you disappearing into the woods but I never knew you came here to disfigure trees."

"If you call tree-doodles disfigurement you should see what the Builders get up to," I retorted, returning his smile.

"Oh yeah, you decided to join the Builders didn't you? How's that going?"

I shrugged, "It's fun I guess, though I still want to be a Runner."

"You're never going to let go of that are you?"

"Not if I can help it. I'll get there if I'm persistent about it. I know I'm not exactly smart and I'm useless in a fist fight, but I don't think I'd be terrible. I would live, at the very least."

"Sure, but it's not me you should be trying to persuade so stop bringing it up every time we talk. I want a regular conversation with you."

"What counts as a regular conversation in the Glade? It's either business or philosophy in here, work or questioning our existence."

"Fair point," Newt chuckled. "Well here's something to add some spice to your life: we're getting a new Greenie tomorrow."

I blinked, dumbfounded. "So soon?"

"Oh come on, it's been a month! Don't tell me you haven't been counting the days?"

"No, actually, I haven't. I didn't see the need to. Has it really been a month?"

"Four weeks of wonder," Newt confirmed. "Tomorrow the Box will bring us a brand new Greenie and you'll be promoted. No more shall you be known by the title of Greenbean. That title is something you must pass on to whatever boy comes up tomorrow."

"How do you know it'll be a boy?" I asked, surprised by the certainty in his voice.

"It's a boy, girl pattern. A boy came before you, a sweet little lad called Marcus, then there was you, the girl, and next will be a boy, and then a girl, then another boy, and so on."

"Makes sense. Hey, Newt, what will happen to the Greenies when we find a way out? What if, after we escape, new Greenie's keep getting sent up?"

Newt shrugged, "We thought about that for a while, but I guess we'll just have to face that problem when it arrives. After all, we still have yet to actually find a way out. Once we've explored the whole maze we'll discuss it again, if we can."

Satisfied with this answer, I nodded and together we began to walk out of the forest, making idle conversation as we went.

The next day the air was buzzing with an unspoken excitement. People ate breakfast quickly and chatted excitedly in hushed whispers.

"I hope the next boy is a hottie," I heard one girl say.

"This one better be a fighter, I want a new sparring partner," a tall muscular boy said.

"Maybe Silvia will finally get the boyfriend she's been waiting for," a group of girls chirped at once, earning a barrage of complaints from a short brunette.

"I hope he's an annoying twat so that everyone will be filled with disappointment," I muttered bitterly, poking my breakfast half heartedly with my fork.

"Wow, someone's not happy this morning," Callum answered, filling his voice with fake fear.

"I thought we'd established that I'm not a morning person," I growled, taking a mouthful of food.

"Yeah, but you seem a little more desperate to kill everyone than usual. Are you sad that you'll no longer be the Greenie?"

"If you keep saying stupid things I may have to break the second rule and hit you."

Before Callum could make another sarcastic remark, sirens echoed throughout the Glade. His smile disappeared for a brief moment but quickly returned, his eyes filling with excitement. "Come on!" He cried, leaving his plate and running towards the Box where a small crowd of people was steadily gathering.

With a sigh I stuffed the rest of my food into my mouth and walked unhurriedly in the direction of the hatch. I decided quickly not to join the crowd as Callum had and watched from the sidelines. The scene before me brought back my memories from when I came up in the box and I shuddered slightly. It hadn't exactly been a pleasant start and I felt sorry for whoever was coming up now. I was curious about the boy who would arrive, but I'd meet him eventually anyway and didn't see the point in wading through the crowd to where my friends were standing, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Greenie. I spotted Alby and Harriet standing just outside of the crowd, talking to Newt and Bonnie with serious expressions.

"They're not talking about anything exciting, don't look so concerned." I turned and noticed for the first time that Gally was standing next t me.

"You're not gonna join the crowd," I asked, nodding to where the other Builders were standing and chanting something about beans.

"No way, not after the stunt you pulled when you first arrived. If something like that happens again, I need to be ready."

I suddenly remembered how Gally had saved me from running into the maze and I cursed myself for forgetting about it for a whole month. "Gally! I've been meaning to thank you for that!"

He blinked, surprised by my sudden outburst. "Thank me for what?"

"For stopping me that time. You know, when you aggressively shoved me to the ground and kept me from running to my death?"

"Oh right, that time." He laughed: something I didn't see often. "I was just doing what I had to. We can't go losing Greenies all the time; we need them to share the workload."

I nodded. "Well thanks anyway, I owe you one. If you ever need life saving, give me a call."

"With what? We don't have phones here."

"You know what I mean," I muttered, giving him a playful hit on the shoulder.

"It's great to see someone's finally getting buddy-buddy with you, Gally," said a soft voice next to me. It was Minho. I was surprised to see him; he rarely spoke to anyone except his Runners.

"We're not getting buddy-buddy," Gally snapped, taking a step away from me.

I faked a tearful expression, "How could you, Gally? I thought we were friends!" Gally growled at me, visibly annoyed, and stormed off, presumably to where his other Builders were gathered.

Minho laughed loudly, causing me to jump. "Aw, look you made him all shy. If you need to know one thing about the Glade, it's that it's never a mistake to mess with Gally. It's hilarious."

"He definitely does have a short temper," I agreed, smiling. I had expected Minho to be a bit more guarded, but I'd heard he had an overwhelming sense of humour and apparently it was getting the better of him.

"You're Claire, right, the one who almost killed herself trying to run into the maze?"

I winced, was that really what I was known for? "Yeah, that's me."

He nodded slowly, his face sinking into a blank expression as the humorous aura died away. "You're not going to join the excitement?"

I shook my head, eyes returning to the crowd. "I'm not a fan of large groups of people. Besides, I'm sure I'll see him if I wait a while."

As if in response to my words, the sound of a hatch opening filled the air and we both closed our mouths, eyes glued to the crowd before us. A moment of silence followed, broken by the scraping of metal against metal as the doors to the Box opened. People immediately started buzzing with chatter and excitement. Apparently he wasn't going to be the annoying little twat I'd hoped for.

"Alright, people, you've all had your glimpse of the Greenie, now clear off unless you want him to run off like last time!" It was Harriet who was attempting to shoo the crowd away as Alby and Bonnie attempted to pull the Greenie out of the Box. There was a series of groans and complaints but the crowd slowly began to thin. Everyone listened to Harriet, even when they didn't seem to want to. The joint command between her and Alby was somewhat difficult at times, but I guess it kept a balance between everyone in the Glade and no one appeared to treat one as more important than the other. You'd expect some level of sexism and I'm sure there had been many cases like that in the past, but, from what I could see, no one thought of her as any less able than Alby.

Now that the area was clear, I could see the new Greenie clearly. He was a large Asian with a mop of black hair, currently on his hands and knees attempting to gather himself. Alby and Harriet were attempting to calm him down but he just stared at them vacantly with fearful eyes. I let out a small sigh, my curiosity satisfied, and left Minho alone to get on with today's work.

Throughout the day, I would take a moment to glance around and pinpoint the Greenie's position. It looked like Callum and a boy I didn't recognize were the ones chosen to show him around. I'd expected Newt to be one of the people escorting him, but he probably had various Runner duties to attend to. Still, if Callum was one of the people escorting him, it meant that there was a pretty big chance the Greenie would be a new edition at our table. Maybe even the other boy with them. 'At this rate I'll have more friends than I'll know what to do with; four is already a large enough number for me and even then I'm not including people like Newt and Gally…' I wasn't exactly sure if Gally could count as a 'friend' but Newt was definitely…something. I trusted him, of that I was certain.

That evening at dinner my suspicions were confirmed. Whilst absently listening to Lorna, Bonnie and Felix discuss something I wasn't paying attention to, Callum and his two new friends walked up to our table. Now that I could see him close up, the Asian Greenie was a lot taller than I first saw him. He wasn't as tall as our lanky boy, Felix, but he was pretty damn close. He was bulky too. I couldn't tell if it was muscle or if he was just large, but he would've been intimidating if it wasn't for the innocent puppy eyes that were watching us awkwardly.

The other boy, someone I hadn't met before, had a short structure and looked even smaller when stood next to the giant Greenie. He had a mop of dark blonde, almost brown, hair on his head and a sweeping fringe that curled tightly in various places. He was shuffling nervously from one foot to the other, probably anxiety from meeting new people or something.

Callum cleared his throat, grabbing the others' attention. "Ladies, allow me to introduce the new editions to our group. Firstly, our new Greenie here, Erik," he gestured towards the Asian who waved awkwardly. "Secondly a friend of ours who goes by the name of Daniel," Daniel gave a similar wave with a similar level of awkwardness.

"Just Dan is fine," he said quietly.

"Hello, Just Dan," I said sarcastically. "Welcome to hell." I grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him into the seat next to me, causing him to yelp at the sudden action and almost fall over.

Letting out a laugh, Erik and Callum joined us at the table. It was a tight squeeze now with seven of us. I don't think the tables were meant to hold so many people, like they hadn't expected so many people to come together for a meal. Not that it was THAT tight of a squeeze, but I think six was supposed to be the original max.

"So, Erik," I heard Felix chirp, "what do you think of the Glade?"

"It's weird," Erik replied miserably. "I don't get it. I don't get anything. How do you all handle it?"

I shrugged, "We get used to it I guess." I felt sorry for the guy, he seemed to readily accept friendship as it was handed to him but he didn't appear to be handling his new surroundings any better than I had a month ago. "So will you," I assured him. "Just give it a week or so and you'll feel right as rain."

"Though we don't get rain here," Dan added.

"The weather doesn't change at all, actually," Bonnie agreed. "So don't worry about sleeping outside. We all do."

Erik didn't look particularly pleased about having to sleep outside, but didn't argue. He'd probably be joining Callum and felix with Dan in their sleeping spot. The boys and girls slept on different halves of the Glade to avoid any issues. I shared a patch of grass with Bonnie and Lorna, surrounded by a barricade of other sleeping girls. Despite being an introvert, I was glad to have the company and didn't really want to picture what could happen if I was unconscious, exposed and unprotected.

The others began talking amongst themselves but I once again zoned out and ate my food in silence, only occasionally contributing to the conversation. However, I kept a close eye on the new Greenie. Whether it was because I was his predecessor as a Greenie or something else, I felt somewhat responsible for his wellbeing. He didn't look the slightest bit dangerous despite his size and was probably likely to get himself in a mess. Even I could sense that he was going to be a fairly troublesome Greenie.


	5. The Confession

Unsurprisingly, I was right. Erik turned out to be completely and utterly useless. His first day with the Slicers almost got three people killed, one of them ending up injured in a way that rendered them unable to work for a few days. His second day with the Track-Hoes didn't put anyone in danger, but he made a dramatic mistake between which plants were weeds and which were growing vegetables. Lorna was able to catch him before he could unearth two week's worth of vegetables and Harriet had to promise not to let Erik become a Track-Hoe for a single day in his life in the Glade. By this point, everyone in the Glade could sense the potential danger the boy possessed and each group dreaded the day he would try out for a job in their section. When he came to work with the Builders, Gally made it extremely clear to Erik that if he broke a single thing it would end his life. This would scare anyone into wanting nothing more than to sit still and silent for the rest of the day and it worked for Erik almost all day until he accidentally tripped over a pile of logs and almost destroyed a new section of the Homestead we'd been working on all week.

As Gally had promised, Erik almost lost his life and Gally almost broke the second rule. I made quick work on pulling Gally in the opposite direction others were pulling Erik, attempting to calm him down with words of assurance that I'd keep Erik from becoming a Builder. Even then he took it upon himself to glare dangerously at Erik whenever he came into view. That was just something the poor boy would have to live with…and be thankful for.

"You really aren't doing well are you, man," I chuckled to him. Erik and I were sitting with the others on the edge of the Deadheads, enjoying a peaceful evening just after dinner.

"I didn't expect everything to be so hard," he complained solemnly, throwing a rock at a nearby tree. "You all make it look so easy! I mean, seriously, how should I know the difference between dandelion leaves and vegetables?"

"You really should be able to tell the difference between something like that."

"Well I can't!"

I couldn't help but laugh at Erik's suffering. It was something we all picked on him for. Not in a mean way of course, it was all for fun and Erik knew that. He even joined in most of the time. I didn't really think he deserved to end up working as a Slopper, but so far it looked like that would be his fate. "Did you have any luck with the Med-Jacks today?"

Erik grimaced, "Nope. Clint didn't dare let me treat any of the injured and I ended up just sitting outside all day. I did tidy the place up a little though, Clint is REALLY unorganized."

"Yeah, I helped clean up on my try-out day as well. I think all the Greenies do."

"So am I only good for cleaning?" Erik asked sadly, turning to look at me.

I paused before shaking my head. "No, Erik, I'm sure there's SOMETHING you're good at. You just have to find it. So far what you have are inappropriate jokes told only at the worst of times. Wait for something tragic to happen, that will be your time to shine." I patted his back and stood up.

Callum looked up from where he was currently in a heated argument with Dan, "Where are you going?"

"Places," I muttered vaguely. I had the sudden desire to be alone and didn't particularly want anyone to follow me. "Nature calls."

Callum's face twisted a little in repulsion, "Too much information."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to know." With that, I walked off.

Whenever I had these sudden introverted desires I would take a walk around the perimeter of the Glade, sticking to the stone wall as close as possible. This was what I did now, keeping my left hand to the wall as I walked clockwise around the Glade. My hands were rough now, nothing like the softness they'd been a month ago when I doubt I'd done a single day of work in my life. They were riddled with small scars and hardened from working with the Builders. It was impossible to work in the Glade without getting a number of scars. Usually when I get cut I just suck on it until the bleeding stops and then continue with whatever I had been doing the moment before. This always earned me a scolding from the Med-Jacks who were concerned that one day my cuts would get infected and I'd end up with some terrible hand injury that would keep me from work. Personally, I wasn't all that bothered. I had a pretty good immune system that had served me well so far. Maybe I ate a bunch of weird stuff as a kid that made it strong.

That thought reminded me of the fact that I couldn't remember any of my childhood. I hadn't noticed any unexplainable scars that could have been from past injuries, nor had I found any birth marks. I had asked Lorna and Bonnie to check the areas of my body that I couldn't see myself but they'd both confirmed that I had nothing particularly notable except for the occasional mole here and there. If you think about it in a physical sense, there wasn't really evidence that I'd been alive at all before waking up in the maze. Maybe we were all artificial humans created by some weird form of science and the reason we had no memories of our past was because we didn't have one at all.

Of course that was a crazy notion, a brief idea in attempt to explain things I couldn't understand. 'This is probably how a lot of religions come to be,' I thought, still dragging my hand along the giant stone wall to my left. I was coming up behind Homestead now and could see the slammer a little ways ahead of me. So far, I hadn't seen anyone get locked in there. It was used to punish people who broke any of the three rules and I guess just as punishment for anything. I could imagine it being used to keep people like Gally under control when things got a little too heated, but I don't think there's much use for it other than that. Newt told me that quite a lot of people had been locked in the slammer before, but it was mostly used for when people who had been stung randomly attacked people. We still didn't know why the few who had been stung would attack others with apparently no reason, perhaps they were just irritable, so it was just a thing we accepted.

Honestly, I was kind of interested to see someone get stung, as horrible a thought as that may be. I had heard stories about it from Lorna and Bonnie, stories about the endless screams that followed suit after being injected with the Griever serum, green bubbling skin that burnt like fire, and eyes that turned black with suffering. They were probably exaggerating with the eyes and skin, but I had met one or two people who had been stung and they certainly seemed…different. Almost as if they were tired and had no energy, like a part of their life had been sucked out of them. Newt told me that a few of his friends had been stung before and he'd never been able to stand them afterwards, that they changed in a way that wasn't for the best. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, they were just…unlikeable.

I hoped that neither Lorna or Bonnie or any of my friends ever had to go through getting stung. The only vague upside to getting stung was the fact that you regained some of your memories, but, based on how the other Gladers reacted to them, there probably wasn't anything I wanted to remember.

I took my hand off the wall to walk past the slammer, peering through the window as I did to look at the single uneven chair sitting in the corner. I only knew it was uneven because Callum had been in the slammer once when he got himself into a fight with another Glader. Apparently it wasn't something he wanted to go through again.

"Now just what is a pretty girl like you doing hanging around a place like this," a voice said loudly to my right. I spun round rapidly, for some reason struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation, but relaxed when I saw it was only Newt.

"You seriously need to stop scaring me like that or you're going to get killed one day," I laughed, shaking off my nerves.

"Then stop being so oblivious to your surroundings. A Griever could stand right next to you and you probably wouldn't notice."

I made a face, "I think I'd be able to notice a Griever, Newt."

"If you say so," he shrugged, his smile almost blinding. My previous desire to be alone melted away instantly in front of him, which surprised me because I never changed my introverted ways for anyone, not even Bonnie and Lorna.

"I was taking a walk," I said quietly, answering his earlier question.

"You do love your walks don't you?"

"Well I enjoy the peace and it gives me time to think about stuff. I don't really plan on anything specific; I just go wherever my brain takes me." I waved my hands dramatically to convey the endless possibilities of my thought processes.

"I understand what you mean." Suddenly Newt looked deflated, as though he remembered something terrible that made him sad.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. It was unusual to see Newt look depressed in any way, looked so optimistic whenever I saw him.

Blinking with surprise, he quickly changed his expression back into the smile he'd been wearing before as if nothing had happened. "Never better. Hey, why don't we continue your walk? I wouldn't want to keep you from your cherished activity." He looked at me expectantly, as if he hoped I'd accept his offer without question.

His attempt to change the subject didn't go unnoticed by me. I was usually an unbelievably oblivious person and if this had been anyone other than Newt I'd probably have forgotten about the whole thing. However, this was Newt. I cherished him as much as I cherished my two female friends. I wouldn't peck at his pains, though. I knew he didn't want to talk about whatever it was that was troubling him. His current smile was clearly a fake but I would have to act like I hadn't noticed, he was trying so hard to hide it after all…

"Sure," I agreed, assuring him with a smile of my own. We walked away from the slammer together and talked about anything and everything but nothing specific, going wherever our brains took us.

The next day, I made an extra effort to keep an eye on Newt and noticed that he really was rather deflated compared to his usual self. I asked Sonya about it, thinking that maybe his work as a Runner was causing him a bit more strain than usual, but she told me that nothing was particularly different. I was suspicious, since there wasn't much else it could be, but what could I do? I couldn't just ask him what was wrong, not when he was going through so much in an effort to hide it. It seemed to be fooling everyone else, though when I asked Bonnie she agreed that Newt was a bit less energetic than usual. "He's probably just tired," she guessed, seemingly satisfied with her own conclusion. I, however, was not so easily satisfied.

"Maybe he's in love," Lorna suggested through a mouthful of sandwich at lunchtime. "An unrequited love, perhaps?"

"With who? There isn't anyone in the Glade that he fancies."

"Oh, I think there could be at least one."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry about it," Bonnie interjected, elbowing Lorna out of the way. "She's just saying it's a possibility."

I threw my hands up in the air, "Everything's a bloody possibility!"

"Why does it matter to you so much anyway," Dan asked me suddenly, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Why do you care why I care," I shot back, glaring.

"Because it's interesting," Callum answered for him, grinning wickedly. "You like Newt, don't you?"

I stared at Callum, flabbergasted. "What?"

"Oh come on, Claire, it's so obvious," Felix laughed. "The way you're so worried about him and talk about him constantly…"

"I do NOT talk about him constantly," I hissed, feeling my face heat up.

"Yes you do. What's better is that he clearly likes you as well. You're just too oblivious to notice. Hell, you didn't even realize you liked him yourself, did you?"

"I do NOT like Newt!" I yelled; my face was probably as red as a tomato at this point. "I don't know where you could possibly get that idea and there's no way he likes me!"

"Now, now, don't go making assumptions; you're going to break my heart."

I looked up and, again, found Newt standing behind me. I didn't even bother to tell him off for sneaking up on me and got straight to the point. "Newt, help me break these guys from their delusion that you like me and I like you."

Newt blinked, surprised, "You don't like me?"

I stammered, rushing for words but unable to process them properly, "Well…I l-like you of course, y'know as a p-person 'n' all that, but they're talking about it i-in a romantic sense and as far as I'm aware we don't feel those sorts of things for e-each other. Do we? I don't know. I can't tell-"

"Okay, okay, easy there," Newt soothed me, reaching for my shoulder with one hand. "Slow down, breathe."

I pulled away from his hand. "Do you like me, Newt? Is that why you've been out of it recently?" My voice came out surprisingly steady this time, though it was almost too quiet to hear.

Newt was silent for a long moment, his face scrunched up in thought. I opened my mouth to say something, but was forced to close it when Newt grabbed my arm and started pulling me away from the table, towards the privacy of the Deadheads and away from the hoots and catcalls of my friends.

Once we were deep in the woods and far from chances of being disturbed, Newt finally let go of my arm. We stood in awkward silence for a few minutes, listening to the swaying of tree branches and the distant sounds of the other Gladers at work. I was the first to break the silence.

"You still haven't answered my question, you know."

Newt didn't reply. He'd been concentrating on the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world. His face seemed slightly redder than before, or was it just my imagination? I kept my eyes on him, waiting for an answer.

It took a few more minutes of silence for him to finally speak. "You were a wild one from the start, you know? Unpredictable, that's what my first impression of you was." He looked up at last and gave me a sort of half smile. "I remember watching you as you were held down by Gally. You were glaring at us with these terrible eyes, like you were warning us not to come close or you'd bite. You were interesting. I don't think there have been many Greenies to react aggressively when first coming out of the box. Of course I don't blame you for your actions, you were scared. We're all scared when we first come out of the box." He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, searching for words. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you caught my eye right from the beginning and you're always doing things to amaze me. You immediately wanted to become a Runner the moment you heard they existed, you've somehow managed to tame Gally – how you did that I'll never know – and apparently now you can tell when I'm…well 'out of it' as you put it." The deflated look I saw before appeared in his eyes briefly, but it was only for a moment. "I don't think even Minho noticed. Everyone probably assumed it was a lack of sleep, but not you. I could hear you halfway across the bloody field; you're seriously amazing you know? A bloody miracle girl."

"Newt…"

"No, don't. Please don't. I know you don't…do you even understand what I'm saying?"

I shook my head slowly. I really couldn't see where he was going with this. "I have a vague idea where you could be going with this but I don't really-"

I was unable to finish what I had been saying because something suddenly covered my mouth.

That something was Newt. Newt kissed me.

What I can only describe as an explosion of emotion followed suit. Feelings I had for Newt that I had barely noticed before suddenly became clear, so unbelievably strong and solid that it made me feel stupid that I hadn't noticed them before. I liked Newt, really liked him. I didn't need any stupid memories to know that.

As Newt pulled away I realized I'd been holding my breath and slowly allowed oxygen back into my lungs. "…oh," was all I could manage to say. This caused Newt to laugh and after a brief pause I joined him. We laughed until our sides ached and every time we thought the laughter had died down, one of us would suddenly burst out laughing again which only dragged the other down with them.

I don't know how much time passed, but it did. We talked about other things after that, sitting together under a tree. We didn't need to say anything after; there was an unspoken mutual understanding of our feelings. To be honest I was surprised I hadn't noticed how I felt earlier, it seemed so obvious now. I must've been really, really oblivious, or I subconsciously tried to hide it because inside the maze I knew there was no real future for us. However, in this moment, that didn't matter. I just wanted to be with him.

"Claire."

I looked up at Newt, "Yeah?"

He kissed my nose.

Smiling, I rested my head on his shoulder, my hand held in his. "Same."


	6. The Game

"So how was the sex?" Lorna asked me excitedly the next day in the showers. I'd strategically maneuvered to avoid them after going to the Deadheads with Newt, knowing exactly how they'd act and probably bombard me with questions…as they were currently doing.

"We didn't do anything like that," I retorted, blushing as I remembered how Newt had kissed me.

"Yes you did, I can see you blushing!" Bonnie laughed, pointing at my face.

I gave in, "Fine, we had one kiss, but that's not-"

I was interrupted by Lorna and Bonnie squealing happily. "No way! So he really did like you after all?"

"And judging by that happy look on her face," Lorna mused with a smirk, "you like him too."

"Well I didn't realize it until we...y'know, but yeah I guess I did. All along, I liked him."

"Aww, you look so adorable right now. You can't even say the word kiss now, can you?"

"Can we just stop talking about it?" I pleaded, unable to take any more questions.

Lorna looked ready to pounce on me with a whole new wave of questions, but Bonnie held her back. "Alright, alright we'll stop. Changing the subject to something other than your feelings, did you find out what had been bothering Newt?"

I shook my head, "No, we never got round to that. I guess I'll have to ask him later." Somehow the thought of seeing Newt after our conversation yesterday made me nervous. Nothing had changed except how I perceived him so it shouldn't be that bad but…

I threw the confusing thoughts away. "I'll just do whatever feels natural and see where the world takes me," I muttered, not really expecting anyone to hear.

"That's the spirit," Bonnie agreed.

"Don't let your emotions get a hold of you," Lorna advised. "When I first started dating Felix I thought it would be REALLY awkward. It was in a way, but if you just relax and act like you normally do you'll be fine." She gave me an assuring smile and in that moment I was gladder than ever to have two such great friends.

"Thanks guys. How many people know by now? About me and Newt, I mean."

"The whole Glade," Bonnie said flatly. "We made sure of it."

I take it back. These guys are horrible and should die. I shut off the water in my shower and began drying myself off. "I'm leaving."

Lorna and Bonnie quickly protested. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, we were joking! We were joking! We didn't tell anyone! I mean there are a few people who guessed but we didn't spread anything! I'm pretty sure the Runners, Alby, Harriet, and a few other people know by now, but we didn't tell everyone!"

I smiled to myself, not slowing down the process of drying myself with a towel. It still amazed me how calmly we could all chat in a shower room but I guess it was just another thing you got used to. "Yeah, okay, I believe you…sort of. Just don't go blurting it out to everyone you see, okay?"

My two friends nodded obediently, symbolically zipping their mouths shut.

"Good girls." I finished drying myself and quickly pulled my clothes on, enjoying the feeling of being clean that always came over me after washing. "Now I'm gonna go talk to Gally about what work I have today. Feel free to gossip amongst yourselves while I'm gone."

Bonnie laughed. "Oh, Claire, we'd do that with or without your permission. Don't worry, we'll gossip plenty." She and Lorna shared a giggle and didn't waste time getting to work, probably coming up with all sorts of ungodly fantasies.

Shuddering at the thought of what they might discuss, I quickly left the shower tent and walked briskly across the field. The Builders were currently working on building a new boy's toilet since Erik had somehow managed to…'ruin' the current one. I was glad that I hadn't been appointed the job of a Slopper otherwise I'd have had to clear up whatever mess Erik had created. The fact that Sloppers never wanted to talk about their work now seemed unsurprising, I wouldn't want to talk about it either.

"What do you mean I'm going to become a Slopper?!" I heard someone yell to my right. I turned to see Erik standing in front of Newt some ways off, looking slightly afraid. I didn't hear Newt's reply and their conversation continued in a lower volume than Erik's sudden outburst, but that outburst was all I really needed to grasp the situation. Erik was going to become a Slopper and I could guess what his first job would be.

'He's going to rue the day he made that mess in the toilets,' I thought solemnly, mentally wishing the Greenie the best of luck. He was going to need it.

I continued to my workplace, finding Gally easily as he was already yelling at someone for some heinous crime they had committed. I waited patiently for him to finish, occasionally grimacing at a few particularly cruel remarks he made. It was natural to get yelled at by him at least three times during your time in the Glade. I'd only been yelled at once so far, but I'd only been there for a little over a month. I didn't doubt my future would eventually bring me many, many mistakes that would bring me face to face with the Keeper of the Builder's wrath. Despite Newt's words that I had 'tamed Gally' I knew the short-tempered boy would never go easy on me.

At last, Gally finished his rant and sent the poor child he'd been yelling at off to do whatever job he'd been assigned. He didn't notice me as I continued to stand just behind him and I saw the perfect chance to surprise him. I knew I shouldn't, but it was impossible to resist. I snuck closer until I was standing just behind him and took a deep breath. Grabbing his shoulders suddenly to use as a boost, I pushed myself up so that our heads were level in one quick moment and yelled in his ear, "Hey, Gally!"

The sound that came from the guy was priceless and he fell over in shock so I had to jump off quickly to avoid falling myself. I laughed hysterically as Gally lay on the floor, staring at me in shock. My moment of happiness was short lived as his expression darkened with anger. "You son of a-"

I didn't stick around to hear the rest of his insult and sprinted away at top speed, still trying t hold back heaps of laughter. I could hear several nearby Gladers laughing as well; apparently they had witnessed the little scene I created. They were undoubtedly going to get their own earful of Gally's insults when he took the time to deal with them, but for now, from the sound of heavy footsteps and yelling behind me, I was the image of the Keeper's anger and he was planning to extract revenge.

Thankfully, my legs were as fast as ever and I decided to play with Gally further by purposely adjusting my speed so that I was constantly just out of his reach. I noticed a crowd had gathered nearby, all of whom were laughing hysterically and seemed to be aware that I was just messing with him. Although I rarely used them, my legs were the only useful talent I had and the other Gladers were at least dimly aware of that otherwise they would've been trying to save me from being killed.

Just to make things better, I changed direction suddenly and threw myself into the small crowd. They yelped and attempted to scatter, but Gally was fast on my trail and ended up colliding with all of them, sending everyone sprawling into a mass of bodies and noises. I slid out with ease and turned to marvel at my handiwork. I was expecting to have lost him amongst the bodies and planned to be able to watch him struggling with anger, but surprisingly he had already wrestled his way out and I really should have kept running.

Tackling me for the second time in my memory, Gally pinned me to the floor. I should've been terrified but I just couldn't wipe the wicked smirk off my face. "This reminds me of something," I said cheekily, referring to the time I first tried to run into the maze before getting restrained by the boy.

"Oh really, what's that? 'Cause at the moment I'm reminded of how bloody your face will be when I destroy it with my fist," Gally growled, tightening his grip on my arms which he was holding against the floor. It wasn't painful, I knew he wouldn't genuinely hurt me, but I made an expression of obvious fake discomfort.

"Oh no, I'm terrified."

"Don't wind me up, Greenie."

"I'm not the Greenie anymore, shuck face."

Gally looked about ready to yell something hideously barbaric, but Harriet appeared with Alby before he could do anything.

"What's this all about?" She snapped angrily.

"It's nothing weird, I promise," I said monotonously, doing my best to keep a straight face.

Gally choked and once again seemed like he was going to yell at me but, once again, Harriet interrupted. "You really shouldn't wind him up, Claire; it won't do you any good."

"No, but it's bloody hilarious," I laughed.

"Come on, Gally, let's get you up and out before she can provoke you any further," Alby said, eyeing me cautiously with a look that clearly said 'if you say one more thing I will personally feed you to the Grievers'.

"I won't forget this, shank. Believe me, I won't," Gally hissed to me before getting to his feet and storming off to let off some steam.

I let out a satisfied sigh and relaxed against the Glade floor. That felt good. And from what it looked like, everyone else had a good laugh about it too. That fact made me even happier; everyone was so glum in the Glade. It was a natural response, I suppose, to waking up in a perilous world with no memories of the past and no obvious means of escape, but I liked to think I somehow brightened the people's day.

"Don't look so relaxed, numbnuts, we're not finished with you," Harriet said strictly, though her expression was calm and I could tell she found the whole situation amusing. Alby, however, was completely serious and was glaring at me intimidating.

"It's normal for the occasional idiot to come along and play a prank but that was a little much, don't you think?"

"I think I saw a golden opportunity and decided not to let it go to waste and that in the end we're all still alive and without injury."

"What about when you ran into those Gladers? Did you stop to consider their wellbeing? What if one of them had been hurt? That would have been a violation of the second rule."

I stopped and immediately my heart sank. Alby was right, that had been a pretty stupid move. "I'll need to apologize to them later," I thought aloud, glancing worriedly towards the Gladers who were already walking away.

Harriet pushed Alby away. "Don't worry about something like that too much, lassie. No one actually got injured, though we could have the Med-Jacks check on them if Mr. Grumpy-face," she glanced at Alby who glared at her, "really wants to. Personally, I think they came out a lot happier than they'd been before the whole shebang." She pulled me to my feet. "Now get going, you have a job to do. Be careful how you handle Gally though. You may have been on his good side before, but you'll have to work pretty damn hard to earn that position once again."

I nodded and left the two leaders without a word, heading in the direction of where the other Builders were currently working, planning to get back to work. As I did, a few things connected in my mind. I remembered seeing Newt talking to Erik, seeing him at lunchtime yesterday, noticing him around the Glade in the middle of the day. If he was here, why wasn't he out in the Maze with the other Runners? He'd been running just fine a few days ago, but hadn't stepped back outside since that evening I took a walk with him and first realized he was sad for some reason. Was that reason preventing him from going out into the Maze? These thoughts plagued my mind for the rest of the morning as I worked and suddenly evening couldn't come faster. I wanted to talk to Minho.

I paced in front of the Maze entrance with Newt and a few other Gladers including Alby, Harriet and Bonnie. Many of the Runners had returned an hour ago, but four were missing. Those four were Minho, Sonya and another two Runners whose names I didn't know.

"They should be back by now, where for shuck's sake are they?" Newt ranted quietly, pacing ever faster. "Alby, let me go and look for them. I'll be fine, I promise. I'll come back before the doors close, but just let me-"

"No." Alby gave Newt a stern look. "It's too close to the time when the doors usually close. If they don't make it back-"

"They'll make it back," Bonnie said quietly, staring into the Maze with hard eyes.

"-I need you here to take over as Keeper of the Runners."

Newt looked so unbelievably frustrated. I could tell from his eyes that he regretted not going into the Maze. He was probably thinking this entire situation could have been avoided if only he'd gone with them. I reached out and took his hand, stroking soothing circles with my thumb in attempt to calm him down. "Don't worry, they'll definitely make it. I know they will."

Newt gave me a reassuring smile but I knew he didn't really believe me. "I hope your right. I really do."

On we stared into the Maze.

5 minutes passed.

10 minutes.

Half an hour.

I was pretty much on the verge of running into the Maze myself when Bonnie finally yelled the words we'd been waiting for, "There they are!"

It was only me, Newt, Harriet, Alby and Bonnie at the entrance now. Everyone else had deemed them as good as dead and left or couldn't bear to wait anymore. I couldn't care less at this moment, I was just glad someone was alive.

Newt let go of my hand and ran into the Maze to get whoever was coming down the corridor. I was about to follow but Harriet grabbed me and pulled me back. "Only Runners are allowed into the Maze," she reminded me, eyes locked on the approaching party.

My heart was gripped with worry and I didn't dare look away, praying to God to let the doors remain open for just a minute longer.

Apparently my prayer was heard because just as Newt staggered in with the Runners, a loud boom echoed throughout the Glade and the doors began to close. They'd made it, but they weren't in good shape. There were only three Runners.

Minho was lying to one side, panting heavily, his left side covered with patches of blood. Sonya was lying unconscious and had various cuts and scrapes scattered all over her body, her clothes torn in a few places. The third, a Runner I didn't know, looked severely wounded with incredible injuries in several places that were bleeding profusely. It was a miracle he'd made it back alive AND had helped Minho carry Sonya back to the Glade, if he hadn't been there Minho probably wouldn't have been able to make it back with Sonya.

Alby called for the Med-Jacks while Harriet and Newt attempted to stop the third Runner's bleeding. The boy had collapsed once returning to the Glade and appeared to be unconscious. I ran to Sonya's side and tried to decide what I should do. "What happened?" I asked, looking at Minho who was still panting heavily, his eyes telling me he was still fairly shocked about the entire situation and hadn't quite recovered.

"She got stung."


	7. The Sleepless Night

"She was what?"

"Stung, shuck face, do you need me to spell it out?!" Minho yelled, frustrated.

I shook my head slowly and returned to looking at Sonya. "She needs the Griever serum," I muttered and looked over at Bonnie. "Where do you keep the Griever serum?"

"Uh…somewhere in Homestead, but-"

I didn't wait to listen to the rest of her sentence and ran towards Homestead as fast as my legs would carry me. I spotted Gally standing outside, talking to one of the Builders. "Gally!" I yelled to grab his attention. He turned to look at me, his eyes dark with annoyance that quickly faded when he noticed the way I was running and the expression on my face. "Do you know where the Griever serum is kept in Homestead?"

He nodded, completely serious now. Without a word, he stepped through the entrance of the building. Leaving the girl he'd been talking to alone and perplexed. I followed him quickly, watching impatiently as he rummaged through a box and drew out a veil of blue liquid. Handing it to me, he nodded, "This is it."

I was surprised by how simple it looked; I had imagined something a little more extravagant. "Thanks," I said briefly, not wasting time and dashing back the way I came. I reached the Maze opening after a minute or two and arrived just as the Med-Jacks were carrying the two unconscious Runners away with the help of several nearby Gladers.

I searched for Clint, planning to give him the Griever serum, but someone grabbed it from my hand. It was Dan. "I'll take care of that," he said briefly.

I stared at him in shock, "Since when were you a Med-Jack?"

"Since the beginning, shuckface," he snapped, "I'm glad you paid attention, now go help Bonnie and Newt with Minho."

Minho was being helped along by Newt and Bonnie, but was complaining heavily. "I told you, I'm fine! Most of this blood is Marcus' anyway!" I assumed Marcus was the heavily injured Runner whose name I previously didn't know.

"That doesn't matter, you're injured and we're taking you with the others to Homestead," Bonnie replied sharply.

"I'm not even badly injured; it's just a few cuts and scrapes from when we'd very occasionally fall over whilst carrying Sonya. If anything I'm just really tired."

"Then you can sleep while we treat what little injuries you have," Newt grunted.

I jogged over and walked alongside him, watching Minho carefully. "Need any help?"

Smiling softly, he shook his head, "Not really, he's just being stubborn and doesn't want to admit he's hurt."

"I'm NOT hurt!"

"Yeah, yeah," Bonnie growled, "just get your butt to Homestead so we can treat your nonexistent injuries."

"Good that," Newt agreed.

Several things happened that night.

First of all, Marcus died. His injuries were too much for his body to handle and he died while Dan was still stitching him up. He said blood loss was probably the cause and that the boy was probably as good as dead long before he managed to return to the Glade.

Secondly, Sonya was injected with the Griever serum. The sounds of horrific screams were quick to follow and I immediately vowed to do all I could to avoid getting stung. Suddenly the exaggerated descriptions made by Lorna and Bonnie seemed all too real and I did my best to avoid the room where Sonya was recovering, if that could really be called recovering.

Finally, it turned out that Minho really didn't have any injuries aside from a few scratches and bruises from, as he had said, falling over whilst carrying Sonya. The Keeper of the Runners had clearly been right about most of the blood being Marcus' and didn't need much treatment at all apart from some disinfectant and several plasters. He fell asleep the instant his head hit the pillow of his bed and probably wouldn't be up until midday.

News of the evening's events travelled fast around the Glade and there seemed to be one thing on everyone's minds: what would the Glade do now that two of their few Runners had been killed?

"This is a golden opportunity for you, isn't it?" Newt muttered absently. It was morning and we were sitting against the wall of the Glade behind the Deadheads, as far away from Sonya's screams as we could get.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well, now that two of our Runners are dead, there are only four people who can run and map the maze. We were already considered short on people before but now we're completely and utterly desperate for members."

"So?"

"So it means we're going to have to change how we recruit Runners, a state of emergency adaptation."

"And that's supposed to be a golden opportunity, why?"

"Are you a bloody idiot? It means you have a chance to become a Runner! The one thing your shuck brain has been obsessing over since the day you heard about them!" He narrowed his eyes, "Alby's going to discuss it with Minho when he wakes up but I'm pretty sure they're going to have try-outs."

"Like what the Greenie's do when deciding which job they want?"

"Yeah, like that. I'm not sure how they'll do it since we can't just let people into the Maze, maybe they'll test their map making skills or something…" We sat in silence for a while, thinking about the Glade and how things seemed to change so quickly over one night.

'Two people are dead,' I thought. I regretted that I never had the chance to meet them, to get to know them. As much as I hated it, I just felt relief that the ones to die hadn't been the two people I knew. Newt however must have known Marcus and the other Runner. Their loss must've affected him deeply.

I took his hand and he gripped it tightly. "Their names were Marcus and William," he said slowly and clearly, as if to make sure I wouldn't forget them. "They were with me when we first woke up in the Glade, some of the first Gladers. You probably never met them, but I want you to try to remember their names for me."

I nodded, "I'll remember them. I'm sorry I didn't know them."

"So am I, you would've liked them. They probably would've liked you too." He sighed and pushed his leg out to kick a nearby stone. "I should've been there to help," he whispered. "If I'd been there no one would have died."

"You don't know that…"

"Well I could've done something! Anything! If I had just gotten on with the job, if I hadn't let my emotions get in the way, so much could've been avoided." He ran his free hand through his hair, "I shouldn't really tell you this but you're probably going to become a Runner anyway so you'll find out eventually."

I tilted my head to one side. "What is it?"

"We finished the Maze. We mapped all of it, every change, every pattern, every part of that god forsaken bloody Maze and you know what? There's nothing. There's no way out. Not one."

I stared at Newt silently, taking a moment to let his words sink in. "There's no way out of the Maze?"

Newt shook his head. "We drew the last map a several days ago. That's why I haven't been running. I don't see the point. We have all the maps anyway so why bother repeating them? The others keep doing it with the hope that something will change eventually, but I think that's just wishful thinking. Alby and Harriet told us to keep going for the sake of everyone else, to have them believe there was still hope." He sneered, "They're all bloody fools."

"I get what they decided to do though," I said quietly. "If this got out there'd be nothing but panic. Better to lie and keep everyone believing there was hope than throw the world into chaos."

"The world's already in chaos, if you haven't already noticed."

"You know what I mean."

Newt paused before nodding slowly. "I do. To be honest, when we first realized we'd finished the Maze I thought I'd lost the will to live. I hate this place, Claire. I hate it more than anything and with no way out…I don't know what to do." He gripped my hand tighter, his eyebrows furrowing with an emotional pain I couldn't decipher. "I considered running into the Maze and never returning, to let the Grievers take me or something else I didn't really care, but when I saw you that evening by the Slammer I just couldn't bring myself to leave. When those doors shut that day it was like I'd signed a form saying I had to live no matter what. No matter how terrible this place is, even if we have no hope of escaping, I'm going to live. For this I think I only have you t thank."

"Basically I'm your will to live?"

He laughed. It wasn't a fake laugh; it was a pure untainted laugh. "Yeah, I guess."

I smiled, glad to be a source of strength in Newt's life and glad to be able to help him. "I'm going to find a way out, Newt," I promised. "I'll find a way. You said I'm always doing things to amaze you, didn't you? Well I'll amaze you all over again out there. I'll be the best Runner in the history of the Glade and find us a way out."

Newt snorted, "Sure you will. I bet you'll get killed on your very first run and that's only if you get chosen to be a bloody Runner at all."

"Oh please, they'll come begging for my presence."

"Who'll come begging for your presence, shuck face?" A voice spoke from the trees ahead. We looked up and were surprised to see Minho leaning against a tree.

"Minho? You weren't supposed to be awake until lunchtime," Newt exclaimed, but seemed glad to see his friend.

The boy snorted, "Please, you underestimate my strength. All I needed was sleep and sleep is what I got. I'm surprised I didn't wake up earlier, the doors have long since opened." He narrowed his eyes, "Did I spoil your little couple moment? You looked like you were enjoying yourselves."

I felt my face heat up and quickly shook my head, but didn't let go of Newt's hand. "No, no, it's fine. Did you need something?"

Minho nodded and pointed at Newt. "I need my buddy Newt. Alby and Harriet want to discuss what we're going to do about the fact that we're horribly short on Runners but I want you there with me. We need to beat you into coming on runs now; we need you more than ever."

Newt rolled his eyes and stood up, letting go of my hand. I stood up as well, not planning to be left alone in the woods. "Fine, fine, I'll go with you to talk about the bloody Runners. Claire and I were discussing that earlier actually."

Minho raised an eyebrow and glanced at me. "Oh really? Your girlfriend is interested in the Runners? I'm surprised; most people leave that sort of stuff to us and don't want anything to do with it."

Newt laughed, "Is that so? Wait until you've had a full conversation with her, you'll quickly realize that any past image you had of her was a lie." He gripped Minho's shoulder and walked off in the direction of the Homestead, bidding me a quick farewell.

I watched them leave before setting off in my own direction to try and find Lorna and Bonnie. Bonnie had volunteered to take care of Minho while he was out of it but, now that he was up and about, I expected she was somewhere with Lorna plotting the downfall of every Griever in the Maze.

I found Lorna alone by the fields, talking to a couple of the Track-Hoes, but Bonnie was nowhere in sight. "Lorna," I called to my friend. She looked over at me and smiled, giving me a wave, before turning back to her group to give them a few orders to make them leave. Once they did, she came over to me.

"Hey, Claire, you okay after last night? You look terrible."

"Thanks," I muttered dryly. It was true that I hadn't been able to sleep due to the chaos and ended up spending most of the night talking to Newt, who had been suffering from a similar inability to sleep. "Do you know where Bonnie is?"

"Yeah, she went to get some sleep after not sleeping an entire night to care for Minho." She elbowed me and raised her eyebrows suggestively, "I bet she likes him."

I shoved her, rolling my eyes. "Let's be serious please and not talk about people's love life for a moment."

Lorna pouted, "Killjoy. But you know you should probably get some sleep too. Have a shower, get yourself cleaned up, get a good night's…uh…day's sleep, I'll bring you some of Frypan's food later."

I shook my head, "Thanks for the concern but I'll be fine. I'll at least try to get some work from Gally but I promise that if he complains as well I'll go straight to bed, though I hate the idea of sleeping in the middle of the day."

"It's fine. Bonnie's already out like a light so you'll have plenty of company." She pushed me in the direction of the boy's toilets where the other Builders were already hard at work. "Now hurry and get scolded by Gally so you can get your beauty sleep!"

I'd actually been expecting Gally to force me to do work just to get back at me for yesterday's prank, but I must've looked really terrible because even he gave me a look of concern and told me to take the day off.

"But I'm fiiine," I whined. "Sure I didn't sleep but I don't even feel tired!"

"Trust me, as soon as you lie down you'll lose consciousness so fast you'll think someone killed you," he grunted, not even sparing me a glance as he continued with his work. "Just go, that's an order from your captain."

I rolled my eyes but decided to resign without putting up any more of a resistance. I'd promised Lorna that I'd sleep if even Gally told me so and planned to keep that promise even though I didn't particularly want to. I trudged miserably back to my sleeping quarters, where Bonnie was already asleep and sprawled out across the floor. I lay down a space or two next to her, wary of possible moving limbs, and, as Gally predicted, lost consciousness so fast I thought someone had killed me.

When I finally woke up it was late afternoon and Bonnie was still lying next to me, but she opened one eye when I sat up and stretched. "Don't let them know I'm awake," she mumbled, snuggling into her pillow. "I'm not ready for consciousness."

I let out a tired chuckle, feeling exhausted yet somehow more energized than I had before. "I'll keep your secret safe, keep sleeping." I stood up and made my way over to the kitchens to find Frypan, I was starving.

I found him preparing today's dinner with the other Cooks and he looked over his shoulder at me as I leaned over the counter that separated his workstation from the area where we all ate. "Well, well, look who finally decided to wake up. You look better than you did this morning."

"You saw?" I groaning, resting my chin on my arms that were now flat on the counter.

"A lot of people saw you staggering around the fields like a zombie, though I don't think you noticed them," he laughed. "I'm guessing you're hungry after not eating anything all day?"

"Oh God yes," I drooled. "I don't think I'll make it until dinner, Fry, I'm literally starving here."

Frypan took his hands away from the food he was preparing to reach somewhere and pulled out a couple of sandwiches wrapped in brown paper. "I predicted this might happen so I made a few of these. There's some for Bonnie too so you can take them to where she's pretending to still be asleep."

"You know?"

"Of course I know," Frypan scoffed, "everyone does. She's always the first to wake up, there's no doubt she's woken up by now even if she did stay up all night yesterday." He pushed the sandwiches into my hands and I said thank you, taking Bonnie's over to her whilst eating mine on the way.

"Oh my Lord, Bonnie, these sandwiches are great," I mumbled, when I reached her.

Her head shot up instantly. "Food?"

"Yes, Bonnie, food," I agreed patronizingly, throwing the sandwiches at her. She caught them easily and began eating viciously. I continued eating mine, enjoying the feeling of new energy flowing through my body and my hunger being lessened. Bonnie moaned as she ate her food, apparently feeling the same way I did. "I know right?"

"I need to thank Frypan for being the high lord of food, even if he is repetitive with his choice of meal."

"Good that." We ate the rest of our sandwiches in silence and I stared up at the top of the Glade walls. "It would be so easy if we were birds," I thought aloud. I hadn't seen a single animal in the Glade apart for the animals kept as livestock by the Bloodhouse and, although I had never seen one, found myself missing the sight of birds."

"It's not supposed to be easy," Bonnie mumbled through her food. "We've come up with a bunch of different theories about why we're here and have done pretty much everything to try to escape, but we're still here. Whoever put us here doesn't want us to get out easily."

I thought about what she said for a minute. "Do you think this is a prison?"

"A lot of people do, but I think it's something a little more exciting. Something like aliens put us here for an experiment or as test subject, or that it's actually the government and this is all a survival game for their entertainment and the Beetle Blades are surveillance cameras that allow people to watch us from their televisions."

"You think this is all a TV show?"

"Of course not, but it's fun to think of it like that and, in this place, you need to grasp what little happiness you can find."

I nodded slowly, deep in thought. Something she said sparked a thought inside me. I guess it was possible this was all something created by the government and that we were all test subject in an experiment, like mice running to find cheese. We were here to solve a puzzle and what better than the most basic puzzle in the history of man: a maze. The idea was clearly impossible, the Glade alone was enormous and the Maze itself was even larger, bigger than I could picture with my mind. No human could create something as complex as this without years of work. But if it was true and we really were test subjects, what on earth were we being tested for?


	8. The Gathering

I sat with my friends at dinner like I usually did, but didn't say much. Not many people did. Lorna wasn't present and was apparently attending a Gathering at the moment. It was a quiet evening and a heavy depression hung in the air like dead weight. It was the time for Erik to shine with his inappropriate jokes at inappropriate times. Completely oblivious to the depressing aura around him, he rambled on loudly about various things no one cared about, causing many Gladers to glare at him and silently will him to shut up.

Dan and Callum attempted several times to fill him in on the situation but, even with knowledge of the deaths of two Gladers, he just wouldn't be quiet. If anything the extra information only added to the pile of inappropriately timed jokes that seriously made everyone want to stab him.

"Whoa, would you look at the time," Felix exclaimed suddenly, looking at an invisible watch in fake shock. "I think it's about time to leave, don't you think so, Greenie?"

Erik looked up from his meal. "What? But I haven't even finished-"

We each grabbed a portion of his food until there was nothing left on his plate. He stared at it in dismay and Felix pulled him away from the table. "Come on, you'll get plenty of food tomorrow after you stop acting like an idiot."

There was a moment of silence after the pair left, then everyone audibly sighed and many started laughing. Despite everything, it was relieving to have at least one person in the Glade unaffected by tragic events. "He's like a comic relief character in a serious story," Dan mused, poking at his food with a fork.

"Oi, don't play with your food," Bonnie scolded him. "I worked hard making that."

"Bonnie, we know you were asleep," Callum sighed, "or at least you were faking it."

"What? No I wasn't, that's a load of klunk!"

"Quit lying, we know you were! You're a really great deputy by the way," he added sarcastically, "I'm sure Harriet is super glad to have a shank like you around."

"Hey, I can be serious when I want to be," she pouted. "I just don't need to be serious with you guys since I thought we were friends. Apparently I was wrong; friends are nicer than this."

She feigned heartbreak as the others continued to tease her. I turned my attention to Dan. "You okay?"

He seemed surprised that I had noticed and nodded slowly. "Yeah…it's just that…that was the first time I'd seen someone die. I never thought I'd see it happen right in front of me while I was in the middle of treating them." He looked down at his hands and frowned deeply. "If I had been faster maybe I could have saved him."

"Oi, don't start going on about what you would've and should've done, I've had plenty of that and don't intend to see any more. I'm sure you did everything you could and no one could ask for more. Marcus wouldn't blame you; he'd blame the shuck Griever that wounded him in the first place."

Dan nodded sadly, "Thanks, Claire."

"Don't worry about it, just keep your chin up and do the best you can. He died to bring Sonya back, didn't he? That means, if you feel guilty for his death, you should take responsibility for her and make sure she's okay. Don't doubt your abilities, Dan."

A sudden clarification filled Dan's eyes and he nodded determinedly. "I'll look after her with everything I have," he agreed. "Marcus' death won't go without meaning. Whatever happens, I'll make sure Sonya lives through to the end."

"Hey, it's nice and dandy that you're motivated but don't go talking about an 'end'. We're gonna get out of here and I plan on getting out alive." I smiled, "And I'm taking you all with me."

Dan smiled back at me, "Yeah."

"Claire, could you come with me for a moment," Newt's voice whispered behind me. I turned to see him standing awkwardly behind me, looking worried. "Bring Bonnie."

I nodded, surprised by his appearance. "Sure." I left the table, pulling Bonnie with me and followed Newt across the field. Waiting for us were Gally and three people I didn't know. One was a tall boy with dark brown hair and wide eyes; the other was a dark skinned girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail; and the last was a boy with bright blond hair that almost looked white and very pale skin. All three of them looked as confused as I felt. "Newt, what's this about?"

"You probably already know that a gathering was held," Newt answered, not looking at me. "Alby will explain everything that they discussed when you get there."

"Did you not go?"

"No, I was catching up on sleep, like you and Bonnie." We joined Gally and the three strangers.

"Hey Sophia, hey Hawk," Bonnie greeted them, clearly well acquainted with them. "This is my friend, Claire. Claire, this is Hawk, Sophia and James."

I nodded to the pair as a greeting and they nodded back. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the pale boy's, James', eyes were an alarming shade of blue and stood out in the darkness of the evening. He looked extremely nervous and his eyes darted left and right constantly. Maria, the girl, looked almost bored and was checking her nails for dirt. Hawk, the tall boy, was watching Newt and I inquisitively, but did so in a way that wasn't unnerving and he seemed more welcoming than the others. Before an awkward silence could settle, Gally growled with annoyance. "Come on, let's just get to Homestead. The others are waiting and I can't believe I was the one they sent to get you guys. They should've sent Lorna."

Newt rolled his eyes. "I did most of the work you know?"

"Why else do you think I got you first?"

Newt didn't even bother replying and began walking to wherever they were. I walked alongside him, leaving Bonnie to make small talk with Hawk and Sophia; James hung at the rear in silence. "So what's this all about?"

"I have a pretty good guess," he murmured, "and I'm sure you do too."

I nodded. "Yeah, I have a pretty solid idea too. We'll just learn the details from Alby and Harriet."

"Exactly." After a few minutes we arrived at Homestead. We stepped inside and Gally lead us to a room I'd never been in before. Once inside, I saw that the room was already full of about eleven or so people sitting in chairs. The group seemed to consist of all the Keepers plus Alby and Harriet. The room was large and, besides the chairs, there was no other furniture except for a small table in the corner. The walls were all made of wood, as well as the floor, and it didn't look like anyone had particularly tried to make the place look welcoming. I couldn't see any windows which explained why the air didn't feel very fresh and smelled of old books. There were several empty chairs at the front of the group, opposite of where Harriet and Alby were waiting. We all took a seat except for Gally, who leaned against a one of the walls and refused to sit down, glaring at everyone with the stubbornness of a child.

'I wonder who pissed him off,' I wondered as I attempted to remain calm under the eyes of so many people. It wasn't a large group, but being in a single room with everyone made me feel slightly claustrophobic. It was similar to the feeling I had when I first got out of the box and was probably a feeling I'd never really recover from. I was sat next to Newt who, sensing my sudden nervousness held my hand and squeezed. I squeezed back, letting him know I was fine.

Alby cleared his throat. "As you know, two of our Runners died last night after being attacked by a Griever. This means that we now only have four. Today's Gathering was held to decide what to do about it, to find a solution."

"We decided," Harriet jumped in, "that we need to find new Runners and quickly. However there is no easy way to become a Runner. It takes time and you need to stand out as a capable survivor." She smiled, "That's where you guys come in."

"What's that supposed to mean?" A voice spoke to my left. I turned my head and saw that it was Hawk who had spoken. His voice was deeper than I imagined it to be.

"What we decided to do was make a list. We made a list of all the people we thought were capable of becoming and being a Runner. We came up with four names that we all agreed on. Those names were Sophia, Hawk, Claire and Gally."

"Gally?" Sophia yelled in surprise. "But he's a Keeper!"

"Believe me, I'm not happy about having to leave my job either," Gally snarled bitterly, glaring daggers at Harriet and Alby. "Unfortunately, everyone ganged up on me. Thankfully I have one person in mind to replace me until I'm allowed back to my original work, so everything isn't as terrible as it could be."

"It can't be that simple," I interrupted, looking directly at Alby for an answer. "There's more isn't there, something you haven't told us?"

Alby nodded, "You won't just become Runners. You aren't all physically or mentally prepared for the strain and will need to go through training. Usually this is done in the Maze but I don't want to send a bunch of new Runners out there at once, so you'll have to do it in the Glade and take turns when actually going outside. The training will also double as trials. If during later events we decide that you aren't capable of becoming a Runner after all, you'll be sent back to your old job where you'll continue to work. Of course, we won't force you to be a Runner if you don't want to, but we strongly advise you do." He paused to see if there was anyone who wanted out. We remained silent.

Pleased with this response, Harriet stepped forward. "Your training shall begin tomorrow morning. You will be expected outside the map room half an hour before the Maze doors open for the day. I guess you could say your first trial is waking up." Several Keepers chuckled at this and the female leader seemed satisfied with that result.

Alby rolled his eyes, "Minho will give you extra details on your trials tomorrow. For now I advise you get some rest, you're going to need it."

With that statement, we were dismissed and slowly the Keepers began to file out of the room. I stopped Gally who was making his way to the door. "Are you really going to become a Runner, Gally?"

He shrugged. "Apparently I'm the most physically capable for it and have the mental capacity to deal with the stress of being in the Maze. I'm actually surprised you were chosen. I know you have the legs for it, but you don't have a lot going on upstairs." He prodded my forehead for emphasis. "Like a true Builder."

I swatted his hand away. "Are you saying I'm stupid?"

"You figure it out," he teased and left me alone and confused.

I turned to Newt, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

He patted my shoulder in a patronizing manner and gave me a smile, "You are whatever you want to be." This of course earned him several hits on the arm and a grumpy girlfriend.

"So you're finally going to become a Runner," Bonnie interrupted joyfully. "This must be a dream come true for you, huh Claire?"

"I guess you could say that," I agreed. I WAS excited to be a Runner. In the beginning I had wanted to become a Runner in order to escape from the Glade but now I wanted to find a way out and bring everyone with me. I didn't really want to be a hero or anything; I just wanted to be free. I wanted to see birds again, to build a snowman, to go on a terrible first real date with Newt and live a normal life. I doubted any of that would happen even if we did get out, it seemed too wishful, but I could hope couldn't I?

Becoming a Runner was the first step to accomplishing that dream. Whatever we find out there will be better than in the Maze, of that I was certain. I know Newt said there was no way out, but there HAD to be. If not, why would the Creators have put them there?

"Claire, are you okay?" Newt's voice broke my thoughts and I noticed him watching me with a concerned look. "You've been staring blankly for like five minutes…"

"Oh, yeah I was just thinking about some things," I assured him, smiling. "I should probably be more worried, but I'm really not. I'm not confident or anything and I'm obviously scared of what might happen if I ever encounter a Griever, but if I do find trouble I can always count on my legs to carry me out of there." I patted them dramatically, grinning.

Newt didn't look convinced. "Just be careful out there, okay?"

"Yes, dad," I answered, turning to leave the uninviting room, glad to be able to get away from it. Everyone else had already left, so it was just Newt and I. "Come on, let's go get something to eat before dinner en-"

I felt something grab my arm and pull me back suddenly, interrupting my words. I yelped in protest but was quickly silenced as Newt placed a kiss on my lips. I relaxed into it, enjoying the moment we created before we pulled away from each other. He rested his forehead on mine and stared into my eyes with an expression I couldn't read, but I didn't hate it. I returned the look, smiling slightly.

"Have I ever told you you're beautiful?" He asked suddenly.

I thought about it for a moment. "I don't know, I can't remember."

"Then I'm telling you now: you are literally the most beautiful shuck girl I've ever seen. Now I may have only seen a little over 20 girls in the single year I remember living but I'm certain that, even amongst those I knew before I lost my memories, you're the single most brilliant person I've ever met. You're bloody amazing. Seriously, all your pros, all your cons, every perfection and imperfection, I love them all." I felt my face grow red and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "Oi, don't look away." He lifted my chin gently with his hand, tilting my head back so that I was forced to look into his eyes. Unexpectedly, I found an incredible sadness there. "If you die out in the Maze, I'll never forgive you. You do everything bloody possible to get your ass back here in one piece. If we really are going to find a way out of here, you need to be there with me because I seriously don't see the point if you aren't there." I noticed his eyes moisten and realized how well he knew the pain of losing the people he loved in the Maze.

Unable to take it anymore, I threw my arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "I promise, Newt. I promise with everything I have I will not die. We're going to get out of the Maze and we're going to live, even if it's just the two of us. Everything will be fine because it'll be you and me. I won't die if you won't." I realized there were tears in my eyes now. The idea of losing Newt broke my heart but I knew that for Newt, who had already experienced the pain of loss, it must be even worse. I needed to be strong for him.

Newt pulled back a little, smiling again. "Moron, I'm supposed to be the strong male figure here, not you! We have our roles backwards."

I gave him a wry smile, "I'll only let you protect me when I think I'd need protecting, suck-face." I stuck out my little finger. "Let's promise here and now that we won't die. Even if we're separated with no hope of finding one another, we won't ever give up as long as there's a chance that we can be together. Even if there isn't, we have to keep going. We can't die until we're old and wrinkly, okay?"

Newt nodded and didn't even make a sarcastic comment on how they were using a pinky promise for this. He simple wrapped his little finger around mine and shook it. "I swear."

"Good that."

"Good that for sure shuck-face."


	9. The Map Room

As I exited Homestead with Newt, I noticed Gally standing a little ways away with the other Builders. Seeing me, he waved, beckoning me to join them. I said a quick goodbye to Newt, squeezing his hand, and ran over. Without explaining what he wanted Gally turned back to the small group. "Now that we're all here, I'll explain the rest of the situation. From tomorrow onwards, Claire and I will no longer be Builders. Due to the shortage of Runners, we've been told to train to run in the Maze." He pointed to Muriel, the girl who first worked with me and whom I had often worked with to that day. "She'll be the new Keeper while I'm gone."

"But she's a girl!" Someone said suddenly. I turned to see a tall boy, Max, glaring at Muriel in disapproval.

"Is that a problem?" She snapped, returning his glare with malice.

"Well it IS common knowledge that girls are physically weaker than guys," he answered arrogantly.

As if in response to that comment, Muriel stormed straight up to him and, before Max could move away, she planted a firm kick right in his groin. Max howled and collapsed to the ground, clutching the area the girl had kicked. She glared around at the rest of the group. "Does anyone else have a problem with my physical strength?" No one answered. "Good that."

Gally stared expressionlessly at Max's crumpled body on the floor. "Thanks for that lovely start, Muriel. Good work."

"Thanks, Captain Gally," she replied, still glaring at Max.

Pleased at finally being called 'Captain' by someone other than himself, Gally beamed. "So I guess everyone's okay with the way things are settled?"

A short boy coughed nervously, gaining the ex-Keeper's attention. "Uh…why is it that you and Claire are the ones chosen to become Runners?"

Gally shrugged, "It's just the way things are. Minho must think we have what it takes to survive in the Maze; otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to let us go."

I gave him a look. "I thought we weren't officially Runners yet, that we were just being tested to see if we could handle it. We aren't going into the Maze until we're actually Runners."

Gally tapped the side of his nose, "That's what they say. Now go to bed you shank, I already know you're not a morning person. You're gonna be kicked out of the trials instantly if you arrive at the Map Room looking like a drowned walrus."

"For the record, I actually love mornings; I just don't like waking up. Also, don't compare me to a walrus;" I flicked my hair dramatically, "I'm fabulous."

Gally snorted, "Sure you are, shuck-face. Now get out of my sight."

Without saying goodbye, I left the group of Builders to discuss whatever else they wanted to discuss. I noticed Lorna and Felix scolding Erik; possibly for the commotion he caused at dinner, but didn't stop to say hi. Instead, I walked straight to my sleeping spot and curled up in my sleeping bag on the floor. Thankfully, there were already a few other girls lying around nearby so I wasn't completely alone. Maria appeared to be one of them.

"Oi, Claire," I heard someone whisper behind me. I turned to see Bonnie crouching a metre behind me.

I frowned, "What?"

"Do you want me to wake you up tomorrow? You always have trouble getting up in the morning so I was just wondering…"

"Yeah, Bonnie, that would be great. Thank you," I turned my frown into a small smile. "Use your super power of waking up outrageously early to save me."

Bonnie nodded and walked off. I returned my head to my pillow, but couldn't make myself fall asleep. My mind was whirring with thoughts of the Maze, hopes of finally becoming a Runner, fear of the Grievers, and so many other things, more than I could count. My biggest worry was the maps. I had no doubt I could draw them with ease, my artistic skill seemed almost better than most, but my memory was absolutely terrible. I could remember things I was interested in or things I repeatedly saw and heard, but I didn't have the kind of memory that could look at something once and be able to describe it perfectly after I looked away. If the Maze always stayed the same I'd have a better chance, but since it changed every single night there was a pretty big problem for me to face.

I rolled around in my sleeping bag, trying to find a comfortable position that would pull me into the realm of sleep, but found nothing. After about ten minutes I settled for lying on my back and staring at the sky. Looking at the stars and listening to the soft murmurs of various conversations drifting across the Glade, I wondered once for the millionth time since arriving at the Glade where we were. There were no constellations that I recognized and the daily weather was nothing that should exist in the normal world. Even though it was night time and I was outside, I felt warm. Was that natural?

Amungst the swarming thoughts and questions and mixed feelings about the Maze, tiredness soon took over and I finally drifted into an uncomfortable but bearable state of sleep.

Then, all too quickly, I felt a hand shake me awake.

"Claire!" Bonnie's voice whispered to me harshly, but clearly weary of the other resting Gladers. "Wake up; you need to get your butt to the Map Room right now! I can already see two other people there and if you don't go now you'll be late!"

Hearing those words, I groggily stumbled to my feet. I was only half awake and my eyes were still closed, they felt incredibly heavy. "Huh?"

"Sorry about this." Her words barely registered in my mind before I felt a hard slap on my cheek. I gasped and my eyes snapped open angrily.

"You idiot, what was that for?" I rubbed my sore cheek and glared at her, confused.

"There, you're awake now. Get moving." She pointed in the direction of the Map Room and I noticed two figures standing outside, another one approaching.

"Shuck it!" I pulled on my shoes that were lying next to my crumpled up sleeping bag and made a mad dash for the building. "Take care of my bed for me!" I called to Bonnie, not looking back.

In no time, I arrived at the Map Room. Without checking to see who was there, I stumbled to a halt and doubled over, gasping for breath. "Am I late?" I wheezed.

The answer I received was a scratchy laugh. "Told ya, shank. You look like a drowned walrus."

Unfortunately, I couldn't agree more. I didn't want to think about the state I must look with bed hair and tired eyes. After running I felt more conscious, but also more tired. "Shut your buggin' mouth, Gally," I muttered. I would probably have to take back my previous statement; I was NOT a morning person.

"Is that how you always talk to you Keeper?" I heard someone say to my right. It was Maria and she was giving me a look of disgust, like I had just crawled out of a sewer.

"For your information, he's my ex-Keeper," I growled. Fun fact about Claire: her temper is considerably short in the minutes just after waking up. This was not a helpful fact in situations like the one I was in. "Also, it's none of your business how I talk to the people I talk to."

"Which mustn't be many," Maria yawned as if already bored, "I wonder why."

I probably would've attacked her if Gally hadn't blocked my view of her by standing in front of me suddenly. I shot him a glare, "Excuse me; I believe I was talking to someone."

"Yeah, well you're talking to me now," he replied firmly. "You should get yourself together before Minho gets here." He reached out and sorted out my messed up hair, his eyebrows furrowed with concentration. "You should've gone to bed earlier."

"Quit mothering me," I snapped, batting his hand away. "I can do this much myself. And by the way, I was only awake for as long as I was because I couldn't get to sleep; too much going on up here," I tapped my head.

"I think we all had that," a new voice said quietly. It was James who had spoken. He looked a little less nervous compared to before, but was still looking around as if he expected something to attack him at any moment. His demeanor only made me wonder why he'd been chosen to be a Runner. Did he have some sort of secret strength? If so, what could it be? I highly doubted there was anything he had to contribute, he just seemed too jittery and on edge. If he was like this in the Glade, what would he be like in the Maze? "Though probably not as much as you. You really do look terrible."

I snorted as I went about making myself look presentable, "So you slept fine and dandy last night, did you?"

"Well…"

"Alright, is everyone here?" A voice boomed suddenly, making us all jump. Minho jogged in, a large grin on his face. "You all look stunning by the way! Not you, Claire, you look like klunk, but everyone else looks pretty much ready to go." He glanced around and narrowed his eyes. "Where's Hawk?"

Just as he asked that question, Hawk came running in. The fact that his bed hair was still intact was enough to tell me he'd only just woken up. I hoped I didn't look as unorganized as he did. "I'm sorry I'm late!" He yelled as he skidded to a stop in front of us and gasped for breath. "I did tell Clint to wake me up this morning, but I think he overslept as well."

Minho rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I don't care." He turned so that he faced the metal door of the Map Room. I felt all tiredness drain from me in an instant and excitement took its place. I was itching to get a look at the place the Runners always went after returning from the Maze. "Newt and Lydia will join us later. For now, come with me." He unlocked the door, cranked the wheel-handle, spinning it until a sort of click sounded from inside, then pulled. The heavy metal slab swung open with a lurching squeal, revealing a dark room that had a musty, wet smell laced with copper. Minho stepped in and flicked a switch, turning on several rows of fluorescent lights that flickered momentarily until they came on fully.

The new light revealed various details as I followed Minho into the room with the others. It had a surprisingly simple interior. The walls were bare and made of concrete, just like the floor. A wooden table stood in the centre of the room with eight chairs tucked around it. Neatly stacked piles of paper and pencils lay about the table's surface, one for each chair. The only other items in the room were eight large wooden trunks, two to a wall.

"Welcome to the Map Room," Minho chirped, taking a seat in one of the chairs. "Take a seat."

We each took a seat around the table and I found myself sitting between Minho and Hawk. As we were sitting down, Minho took a piece of paper and a pencil and began drawing. When he was finished he pushed it to the centre of the table. Leaning forwards to get a better view, I saw that Minho had drawn a large box filled with three rows of three squares, all the same size, like a nougats and crosses board. The middle square had the word 'Glade' written in it and the outside squares were numbered from one to eight, starting from the upper left corner and going clockwise. There were little notches drawn here and there.

"What's this supposed to be?" James asked, confused.

"This is the world as we know it. The numbered sections are the Maze and I hope you can pretty much guess the rest otherwise you get your butt outta here and join the Sloppers." He leaned forward and pointed at the notches. "These are the doors. You shanks only know about the doors from the Glade, but there are four more out in the Maze that lead to Sections One, Three, Five and Seven. They always stay in the same place; the only thing that changes in the Maze is the route to get to them. The route is what changes every night."

We stared at the sketch in awe. I was surprised that the Maze was that complex. "So the Maze is eight times bigger than the Glade?" Maria asked, looking at each Section.

"Exactly. We had eight Runners in the past, one to search each Section, but they all died at one time or another. When we got cut down to six, we got desperate for new Runners. Alby told us to make due until they found some people who could handle it. I wasn't happy, believe me, but at least we could get by with six. Unfortunately, now there are only three able-bodied Runners. Sonya is still going through the Changing as we speak. With any luck we can get at least four of you shanks to become Runners and we'll be back to full strength. I'm happy with having a group full of newbies as long as you learn fast, draw the maps, survive the buggin' Maze and keep your cake-holes shut."

He waited for a response. When he got one, he continued. "The main corridors that are right outside the Glade doors don't change, it's the ones a little deeper out that do that. It takes a full day to map a Section. Once you have it memorized, you have to come back here and draw it all up. That's why we hate having less than eight Runners. There's always the chance that an exit could open up somewhere and I don't know about you guys but I'd hate to miss it, I really would." He planted his palms on the table and stood up, "You can guess why I'm eager to get you out there and start training."

James shifted nervously, "Didn't Alby say we weren't going to leave the Glade until you decided we were up to it?"

"As far as I'm concerned, I believe you're all ready for at least this much. You're only going through the try-outs of becoming a Runner, this day will be your first trial; if you can't keep up then you can't become a Runner. You won't be alone, of course. Gally, Hawk, you're going through Section Four today with Newt as your guide. James and Maria, you'll be taking Section Two with Lydia. Claire, you're coming with me to Section Seven."

I blinked, surprised that I was the only one being taken to a Section further out than the rest, but didn't say anything and simply nodded in acknowledgement. "The Sections," Minho continued, "are all completely self-contained squares. So we shouldn't bump into each other unless you go running through the doors in the Maze. Now, are there any questions before Newt and Lydia take you boys and girls to get prepped and ready to go?"

"What would an exit look like?" Hawk asked, "I mean, what exactly are we looking for here; a new passage way, a sign, what?"

Minho shrugged. "Anything that's different. So far everything's been the same, but that's why we search the Maze every day. Each time those Maze doors open, each time the Maze changes form, there's a chance that something new will appear; something that could help us escape. Even a clue is fine, to be honest. I'm not really expecting a glowing platform with glitter and confetti and a giant exit sign." It didn't sound like he said it to be funny, but I found myself holding back a laugh anyway.

As Minho finished his sentence, I heard the sound of the Map Room door opening and looked up to see Newt and a muscular blonde girl with a hard expression come in. "So who am I stuck with?" Newt asked, glancing my way with hopeful eyes.

Minho waved his hand in front of the blonde's face. "Did you really think I'd be klunk-brained enough to put you in a group with your girlfriend? No way, you get Gally and Hawk." Newt immediately frowned with disappointment, but beckoned the two boys over anyway.

"Come on, let's get you to the storage shed and have you fixed up with some gear before we grab a bite of Frypan's breakfast."

Their group actually had to wait for Minho and I to finish our time in the shed. He insisted we went first because we needed to be ready at the doors as soon as they opened. We had a lot of running to do and we couldn't afford to waste time.

The shed was stationed in a crooked cranny near a back corner of the Homestead. Minho pulled out a key and opened up the shabby door as I twitched behind him in anticipation. I thought of all sorts of exciting things that could be inside but didn't really get a good look because it was still relatively dark and Minho hadn't seen the need to bring a torch, saying they could see well enough to do what they needed to do.

Reaching down, Minho took out a box full of running shoes. "This here's the number one supply for the Runners. You don't want to know what would happen to our feet if we had to run around every day with bad shoes." He shuddered and began rummaging through the box, "What size are you?"

I lifted my foot and pulled off one of my shoes. "Seven," I murmured after peering inside to see the label.

Minho pulled out a pair of white and grey running shoes. They looked new and untouched and I would've thought they were fancy if not for the simple design. I shook off my other shoe as I took the new ones from Minho, eager to put them on. My other shoes had started to wear a bit after all the work with the Builders and I was glad to finally have something more comfortable. I walked out of the shed to sit down and put them on. I didn't pay attention to Minho as he grabbed a few other things before coming out to join me.

I sprang to my feet once the shoes were on and looked down at them. "They feel comfortable enough, much better than the ones I was wearing before."

"Well, only Runners and Keepers get to wear 'em. I guess you could call them a delicacy." He reached out and handed me a plastic wristwatch. "We also get these. Put it on and don't take it off if you want to live. Your life might depend on it one day."

I nodded and strapped it to my wrist. It was a digital watch, black, and showed me that the time was currently ten to six in the morning. I was surprised because it felt much earlier. It was only an hour or so before most of the Gladers woke up on a normal day.

Minho continued. "You also get a backpack, water bottles, a lunch pack, some shorts and T-shirts, and so on. Um…that…" he nodded to a box on one of the shelves in the shed, "that you should get yourself."

Confused, I reached up and pulled the box down. After opening it I realized it was full of sports bras and had to hold back a laugh. I was glad they had them though; otherwise running around in the Maze would be a nightmare. I sorted through them until I fund a couple of pairs that were my size and placed the box back in its place on the shelf. I returned to a patiently waiting Minho and began putting everything inside the backpack Minho had given me. "Is there anything else?"

"Yup, weapons."

"Weapons? What will we need those for?" I asked, feeling an icy chill at the thought of what I might have to do with them.

"Weapons," Minho nodded. "Follow me." He stepped back inside the shed and walked to the back of the room where he pulled a few boxes away from the wall. This revealed a small trapdoor which Minho lifted. Inside was a set of wooden stairs that led into darkness. "We keep them in the basement so crazy shanks can't get to them and start going on a murderous rampage." He made his way down the stairs and I followed uncertainly, not particularly fond of the total darkness ahead of me. Before I reached the bottom, I heard an audible click and a single light bulb flickered on, revealing Minho holding a sting he must've pulled to turn on the light.

The room was bigger than I thought it would be. The place was full of all sorts of junk: wooden poles, large pieces of mesh, rolls of barbed wire, metal spikes building equipment, various tools, saws, knives, machetes, swords, etc. Shelves lined each wall and several blocky wooden tables stood about the room, similarly covered in junk. I stood and stared at everything silently, my eyes probably wider than Hawk's. It worried me that they had so many weapons everywhere and I hated the thought of why we needed them or what they'd ever be used for. Thankfully it seemed like they'd never actually been used in the past; there was a thick layer of dust covering everything in the room.

"You'll only need a couple of knives," Minho said, shaking me out of the daze I was in. He was standing by an open trunk, much like the ones that had been in the Map Room. I walked over to see it was completely full of various knives varying in shape and size. "Pick any one you like, but make sure it's sharp and good for use. After you take your pick we'll head over to Frypan's place to get some breakfast and pack our lunch."

I nodded and reached into the trunk, pulling out knives, one was a long blade and the other a short dagger. I held them in my hands, testing their grip, and added them to my collection of belongings once satisfied.

Twenty minutes later, after eating Frypan's breakfast and preparing ourselves for the run, we stood outside the Glade doors and waited for the moment they'd open. According to Minho, they always opened around half past six every morning and closed at half past seven every evening, giving us thirteen hours in the Maze unless we wanted to have a sleepover with the Grievers. "You ready for this?"

I nodded, "Definitely." I wasn't about to admit I was a little nervous to finally be leaving the Maze, but I was also undeniably excited. I knew there were unimaginable horrors in the Maze and that the whole place was laced with danger, but I'd always wanted to escape the Glade. Since the very beginning I wanted out and now I was finally getting it. Maybe it wasn't freedom, but I was going further, I was doing what I could to find a way out. That was all I really wanted.

Minho seemed pleased with my response. "Good that."

As he spoke those two words, a loud boom sounded from all directions. Then came the crunching grinding sound of stone against stone. The doors were opening for the day.


	10. The Maze

Together, we ran through the South door into Section Six and made our way down several corridors. I stayed a few steps behind Minho, keeping to his right, so that I could watch him as we ran. I observed his running style and attempted to imitate it, weary of how sloppy my running must be compared to his. His movements were smooth and steady, seemingly effortless, and probably helped conserve energy since it appeared to use the minimum required movement for running at the speed he was.

The morning air was still fresh and the sun was just high enough to give plenty of light to see by. I kept up with Minho as best I could, occasionally having to sprint to catch up. I wasn't used to having to keep a constant pace, so I kept running slightly too fast or too slow and needed to change the way I ran every few minutes, much to my annoyance.

After a certain amount of time, I didn't bother checking my watch to check, we reached a rectangular cut in a long wall to the west that looked like a doorway with no door. We ran straight through it without stopping. "This leads from Section Six to Section Seven," Minho explained, "like I told you guys in the Map Room, this door will always be in the same place. The route to get here will be a little different every day because the walls change position every night."

Over the next few hours I learned several things as we ran through Section Seven. Minho taught me all the different methods he used when mapping a section of the Maze, like how he took notes on what was different today compared to yesterday so he could use yesterday's map to make today and how he left pieces of ivy at intersections to mark their way. I always watched him carefully, to memorize his actions in case I needed to use them myself, which came in handy because after he cut ivy a few times he started making me to it.

I was terrible at first. I would always need to sprint to catch up after cutting ivy, or my knife would catch on the wall, or I'd drop something. Multitasking clearly wasn't my forte. Thankfully, after several miserable attempts, I became pretty good and after several more I was glad to be able to say I could do it almost as well as Minho.

After we ran for a while, I couldn't imagine how long or how far we'd run since leaving the Glade, Minho slowed to a walk, then stopped altogether. "Time for a break." He swung off his bag and took out a bottle of water, taking a drink and sitting down to lean against the ivy covered wall.

I swung off my own bag and sat next to him, pulling out my water bottle. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until the water touched my lips. I guzzled almost half the bottle instantly and Minho had to stop me going further. "Hey, save some for later." I took one last gulp before pulling back, gasping.

"Sorry," I muttered, putting the bottle back in my bag. I noticed he was munching on an apple and quickly followed suit, taking a bite of my own. I was surprised by how juicy it was and cupped my hand under my mouth in surprise as apple juice spurted out suddenly. "Oh God…" I removed the apple from my mouth and wiped my chin.

"You're a real princess when you eat," Minho chuckled, watching me.

"Thanks." I devoured the rest of my apple with ease. As I ate, something dawned on me and I turned to Minho. "Hey, why didn't you tell the others that there's no way out of the Maze?"

He gave me a weird look, "What do you mean?"

"Well you've explored the entire thing right? I assume the way the Maze changes follows a pattern and that you've run them all. Every Section, every pattern, every passageway, I assume you've run them all?"

Minho looked at me for a long time before answering. "You're making a lot of assumptions there, shank, but you're not wrong. I haven't had the time to run every pattern in every Section myself, but we have maps of them. All of them."

"Tell me about them," I pushed him, but he just waved me away.

"How do you even know this stuff? I'm guessing Newt told you about it?" He took my silence as a yes. "That slinthead, we weren't supposed to tell anyone…" He sighed, "Well you don't seem particularly downhearted by the sad news, so I guess it's okay."

I shrugged, "Well there's still the off chance that something new could appear, isn't there? It's like what you told everyone in the Map Room, if we keep searching we'll eventually find something."

Minho nodded, "Good that. Harriet told us not to tell anyone, only the Runners, Alby and Harriet know about it. We were going to tell you when you become fully fledged Runners, but I guess you already found out. Actually, I decided to take you to Section Seven specifically because I already figured Newt might've told you about the Maze being finished. It's also why I'm taking you alone and not with some other snot-nosed newbie."

I tipped my head to one side, feeling confused and excited. "What is it?"

"I want to show you something." Without elaborating, he stood up and put his backpack on. I did the same and they started running.

After what must've been about fifteen minutes of silent running, cutting vines and writing notes as we went, we took a right turn and Minho began to slow into a jog. Anticipating our arrival at wherever the Keeper was taking me, I fidgeted silently and kept my speed level with his. As we approached what appeared to be the end of the corridor I finally realized what Minho must have wanted to show me. It didn't completely register with my brain at first. The corridor didn't end in another ivy-covered stone wall. It ended with the sky.

I stared at the wall of blue sky as we ran towards it, trying to understand exactly what we were approaching. The two walls on either side of us seemed to intersect with nothing but the sky up ahead. As we got closer I realized that it was an opening, a gap in the outer Maze wall.

I gave Minho a quizzical look. "Considering how you know about this but are still looking for a way out, this isn't an exit?"

Minho shook his head. "You'll see why in a moment."

A few feet before the end of the corridor, Minho pulled up, checking over his shoulder to make sure I stopped as well. I slowed, but didn't stop where Minho did, instead venturing a little bit further. It was definitely a way out of the Maze, but it was also definitely not an exit. All I could see in every direction was endless open air, as blue as the sky above. It was really weird, like standing on the edge of the world. "Are we floating in mid-air or something?" I asked Minho, not taking my eyes off the scene before me.

"Who knows? Probably, a lot of the people who've seen the Cliff think so."

"The Cliff?" It seemed aptly named. I didn't dare go closer to the edge while standing up, but I was able to guess I wouldn't be able to see the bottom even if I tried.

Minho nodded. "This is the closest thing we've ever found to a way out. Unfortunately there's nowhere to go from here. We considered trying to climb down with the vines, but it's too damn high for that sort of klunk, so we ditched that idea instantly. Be careful about that edge, by the way, you wouldn't be the first shank to fall off."

I took a step back, unable to understand how it could all be possible. "This is seriously messed up, like the laws of physics don't even apply to this place." I got down and lay flat on my stomach, ignoring the weird look I earned from Minho, and crawled to the edge of the Cliff. Sticking my head over the edge, I looked straight down, a shudder of fear rushed through me and my body stiffened as I felt a brief sense of vertigo. We were indeed very, very high. I wasn't exactly afraid of height, just accidentally falling and plummeting to what could be an infinite fall which would inevitably lead to my horrible death.

The stone wall of the Maze went toward the ground in a sheer cliff until it disappeared into whatever lay below in the distance. I couldn't see what was down there; it was simply too far away. "This place must be bloody miles up in the sky," I muttered, shuffling away and getting back to my feet. "I would ask how we are able to breathe since there shouldn't be enough oxygen this far up, but there are just too many weird things about this place now. I'll just say it's an illusion or something created by the Creators, this seriously can't be real."

"You know, you're probably right," Minho agreed, looking over the Cliff with a frown.

"Why do you think they put it here if it's not good for anything?" I asked.

"To mess with our heads? I don't understand it any more than you do. A couple of Runners had a theory that it was where the Grievers went during the day, that maybe they climb down the walls to their nest or something to wait until night falls."

"If only we could camp out and see if that were true," I murmured, "but preferably without the danger of suffering a gruesome death."

"If you start with the 'if's I'm gonna kick your buggin' butt off the Cliff here and now," Minho growled. "The 'if's are the worst part of you newbies. Not to mention all your questions and suggestions with methods of escape. Chances are we've already tried everything there is to try. Well, except the horribly life risking stuff like the vine and Cliff one I mentioned, you can't blame us for not being particularly eager to try that one out."

I nodded. "They're probably right about this being where the Grievers go, though."

"I think there were few who had a theory that things had disappeared over the Cliff; that they hadn't fallen as you'd imagined them to, but actually disappeared, as in into thin air."

I stared at him blankly, "Huh?"

Minho picked up a nearby rock and tossed it over the Cliff. I followed the path of the rock with my eyes as it fell down and down and down, not leaving my sight until it became too small to see. I turned back to Minho, hoping for an explanation.

"The rock didn't disappear. It proves that whatever theory they had was wrong. Their theory was that some things would fall and others would disappear."

"Maybe the Grievers are just magical and there's a mystical portal of glitter that can't be seen by mere mortals and takes people to the land of unicorns," I said dryly, turning away from the Cliff. "Either way, that kind of thing probably isn't accessible to us. Magic portals are for magic beings only, and I can only believe that the Grievers are the results of dark magic after all the things people have told me about them."

"Good that," Minho began running back down the way we came and I gave the Cliff one last glance before following him. It was true that the Cliff didn't seem to hold any secrets, but it was definitely different compared to the rest of the Maze. I doubted there was anything else quite like it. I didn't agree with Minho that it was only there to mess with our heads. If the Cliff really was the Griever's way in, it would probably be their way out.

We ran through the rest of Section Seven, cutting vines and making notes just like we'd done previously. We ran for a few good hours, occasionally taking breaks. I could tell from how I was doing that my body was in good shape and it dawned on me that everyone in the Glade appeared to have various levels of strength and stability, but they all were probably at the peak of their physical health. 'It's a good thing the Creators at least sent us up in good condition,' I thought as I ran, 'otherwise this whole thing would be much harder.'

Once, as we stopped for another break, I noticed a dull glimmer of grey behind the ivy on the wall, about a head high. It wasn't easy to spot and I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been staring around absent mindedly as I ate. "What's that?" I asked Minho, getting to my feet and walking towards it.

Minho glanced up but his eyes dulled when he noticed what I was looking at. Instead of answering, he just continued eating. Deciding that his response meant I'd find out myself if I checked it myself, I reached out and pulled apart the curtains of ivy, then stared at a square of metal attached to the stone with capital letters stamped across them. The letters spelled out six words:

WORLD IN CATASTROPHE: KILLZONE EXPERIMENT DEPARTMENT

I read the words aloud and something clicked in my head. "WICKED…" I murmured quietly, turning to look back at Minho. "That's a pleasant acronym, isn't it? Perfect for describing what the Creators must be like for putting us here." I snorted and let the ivy vines fall back into place, returning to my seat to finish the last of my food.

"Yeah, maybe these guys are fond of word games. There are a bunch of those metal signs dotted all over the Maze; we don't consider them to be important anymore. It could probably be deciphered to explain why we were put here, but certainly won't help us find a way out."

I nodded as I stuffed my last bite of food into my mouth. Together we picked up our bags and set off in silence once more. Minho told me early on that it was better not to talk as we ran, to conserve energy, so we always remained silent unless he had something important to tell me. After about an hour, Minho told me we'd explored the entirety of Section Seven and that it was time to return to the Glade.

"Anything different?" I asked, gasping for breath.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Let's go," he began running back the way they'd just come and I held back the urge to groan as I followed. I didn't pay attention for the rest of the journey back, only vaguely paying attention to Minho as he kicked ivy to the base of the wall whenever we passed it.

When we finally returned to the Glade, Minho took me straight to the Map Room and wrote up the day's Maze route. He compared it to the previous day's checking for anything that stuck out in any way, but found nothing. The other groups also returned from their runs, but they looked even more exhausted than me. James was barely breathing and was rasping on the edge of the table, not even focusing as Lydia taught Maria how to draw the maps. I took out the notes I made and took the map from yesterday that Minho had used to draw his. I was careful not to look at the map Minho had just drawn, wanting to test my own abilities.

I used yesterday's map as a rough template, copying the way it was drawn and the information included on the map; adjusted to fit today's information. Minho looked over my shoulder the entire time, occasionally giving pointers. Thankfully, my ability to draw was fine and the only thing he really needed to comment on was where I drew certain passage ways and how I drew them. Glancing around, I noticed that the others were also doing a pretty good job. Hawk seemed to be a terrible artist and Newt was having trouble keeping his patience with him, but his memory was near perfect. He wasn't particularly smart, but he remembered everything that occurred in his journey almost exactly. Gally was also doing a pretty good job, but his temper was relatively short because he hated being treated like a Greenie and Newt kept provoking him. Both of them also appeared physically fine and didn't look particularly tired after catching their breaths and resting in their chairs.

Maria and James were the opposite. James' physical strength was a sorry sight; he still looked incredibly exhausted from the Maze and had yet to recover his breath. Maria was concentrating completely on the map she was drawing, making sure the proportion was right and her lines were straight. Her memory wasn't completely horrible either and she sometimes didn't even need to look at her notes to draw the map.

I could now see why most of them had been chosen to become Runners.

About thirteen minutes after entering the room, I examined my completed map and sighed with satisfaction. Minho nodded when he looked at it, "Not bad. Your memory is a bit poor but you can always just take more notes, I'm sure your body can handle the extra strain." He grinned evilly as I groaned and took my piece of paper to the Section Seven trunk and opening it. He took out a map from the previous day and handed it to me. I held the two maps up to look at them. "You should look for patterns. Two days' worth won't tell you anything, you need several weeks' worth to find anything real. There's something in these maps, I know it as much as you've already guessed. There's something here to help us and, one day, we're gonna find it."

"What do you think it in here?" I asked, stacking the two maps on top of each other and lifting them to the light so that lines from both pages showed. I looked at how several areas crossed over to look like checkered squares and lowered the page again so that Minho was in my line of sight.

"A clue? A hidden map amongst maps? An image even, I don't know what to expect. Chances are we'll know it when we see it. I doubt they'd put us in a Maze that was impossible to solve." He took the maps from me, making sure they were in the right order, and placed them in the trunk, closing it after. "Now let's go get some of Frypan's dinner, I don't know about you but I'm hungry as a horse."

I nodded aggressively at the mention of food and was outside long before Minho. Hunger gnawed my stomach like a wild animal and I honestly don't know if the food I ate that evening was the most delicious food I'd eaten in my entire life.


	11. The Griever

Two days later, Sonya woke up. I didn't see her, only heard the commotion of Gladers in front of the Homestead and Harriet and Bonnie running in with expressions creased with concern for their friend. Apparently, Harriet, Bonnie and Sonya were relatively close friends. I had often seen Bonnie and Harriet together, chatting happily, but I'd never seen Sonya with them. It was probably because Sonya was a Runner and spent most of her time in the Maze or in the Map Room.

After another two days, Sonya returned to being a Runner and we were all introduced to her fully. She had a hard expression compared to the one she had when I first met her. It was shadowed with a sorrow I couldn't understand and I realized that the Changing had been aptly named. She refused to tell us what she'd remembered; only saying that she hoped to God they weren't real memories. It made me wonder what horrors the outside world could hold for us if they were so painful to remember and I silently vowed to try my hardest to never get stung. Not only did I not want to experience the pain of going through the Changing, something about Sonya told me I didn't want to remember my past.

It took two weeks since starting my training for Minho to decide I was ready to run solo in the Maze. Maria was ready four days early and Gally was ready the day before me. Their memories were better than mine so they were in less danger of getting lost. However, after three straight days of taking the lead and not getting hopelessly lost, Minho told me to run on my own through Section Three. I was unimaginably nervous the whole day but managed to make it back to the Glade in one piece and draw a map without any of Minho's help. I must say, it felt pretty good to finally become a fully fledged Runner.

Hawk was ready the day after me. His memory was great so I was certain he'd be the first to become a Runner, but apparently his judgment skills were poor and he had trouble judging how fast he should run and how much time he had left to get back to the Glade, even with his watch. Newt's biggest worry was that he would know his way around perfectly but not know what to do with that knowledge. As far as Hawk was concerned, he just needed to memorize the Maze and draw a map. It was frustrating for Newt. Very frustrating.

James was eventually told he couldn't be a Runner. His hidden talent turned out to be his ability to judge what should be done at what time and his ability to memorize the Maze was almost as good as Hawk's. If he'd had the physical fitness for it he probably would've been one of Minho's best Runners. Unfortunately, James needed to take a lot of breaks in order to keep Running and only ever returned to the Glade a mere minute or so before the doors shut. Lydia decided it would be too dangerous to let him become a Runner, so he was sent back to his previous job, what that was I never found out.

Newt continuously worried about me, making sure my watch was set to the correct time and that I had all the equipment I needed, that I knew the correct protocol for avoiding Griever encounters and so on. I assured him that I was fine, but he never removed that concerned expression from his face when he left me in the mornings to run in his Section of the Maze. We often switched which Section we were assigned to, just so that everyone could get a feel of the whole place, but I asked to remain with Section Seven most of the time. I was intrigued by it and was certain there was something about it that could lead to our escape, no matter what Minho said. Even so, Minho took each Runner individually to see the Cliff on different days. Everyone reacted in the same way I did, with awe and confusion.

Maria seemed particularly depressed when she was finally told that there was no way out of the Maze and Gally was offended that he hadn't been told and ended up yelling at Minho before storming off. Hawk didn't show any hint of surprise and admitted to having expected as much considering the Runners had been searching for a whole year. I didn't tell them that I had already known long before, thinking it would only cause more problems.

Today, I stood with Gally in front of the South door, waiting for it to open. Once again I was going to Section Seven and Gally had been assigned to Section Six. We remained silent as we waited for the doors to open, mentally preparing ourselves for another day in the Glade. Now that there were eight Runners in full health, we were able to explore each Section each day. I think today Minho had taken Section One, Sonya had Section Two, Maria had Section Three, Newt had Section four, Lydia had Section Five and Hawk had Section eight. The four pairs were standing in front of the four doors, waiting for today's run.

The Glaze was full of a faint buzz of excitement, despite it still being early morning, because there were only a couple of days left before the new month's Greenie arrived in the box. Another girl. Most of the things people said were the same as last month, only reversed to fit a girl and not a boy. Most of the guys wanted to know if she was hot and the girls seemed to want to know what her personality would be like. Personally, I just hoped she had what it took to survive, mentally and physically, in the Glade. Based off what Sonya appears to have remembered we were going to need a lot of tough cookies to live in this nightmare long enough to wake up.

The loud boom I'd grown so familiar with sounded throughout the Glade, shaking me out of my thoughts, and I watched as the doors once again opened. It still amazed me that those things could actually move; it seemed to defy the laws of physics like everything else about the Maze.

Gally and I began running through the Maze and, after about ten minutes, I took a different turn to him that I knew would lead me to the door that would take me to Section Seven. I could still hear Gally's footsteps for about a minute, but then I was left in silence with nothing but the very occasional Beetle Blade as company.

I always made an effort to smile and wave at the Beetle Blades. I never received any sort of response and it usually scuttled away after a moment, but I knew Creators were watching from the other side and this was me acknowledging them. I didn't really have a motive for it…except maybe sarcasm.

After an hour and a half of running, vine cutting and note taking, I heard a terrible sound from somewhere in the distance that made me stop and listen. A constant whirring that had a metallic ring every few seconds, like metal scraping against metal. As it grew louder, a series of eerie clicks joined in. There were inhuman moans floating in the air and the sound of clanking chains, then a horrific screech that sliced through the air like a crude knife. My knees felt week and I almost collapsed with fear. The sound of whatever monster lay about the Maze sped up and I knew it was undoubtedly chasing something. "It couldn't be…" I muttered, clutching my arms to keep them from trembling, "…oh God, don't let it be true…"

However, I knew exactly what it was. My biggest fear had come to face me.

It was a Griever.

Despite my ever-building fear, I ran towards the sound. I didn't know how the Griever managed to get past me without my notice, but I knew where it was and who it was chasing based on where the sound was coming from. The Griever was in Section Six and was chasing Gally.

I ran desperately for the Maze doors. I didn't have a plan, nor did I know what I'd do when I got there, I only knew I had to help Gally. However, I soon realized I should probably start running in the opposite direction as the sound of Gally and the Griever were steadily approaching in my direction. I skidded to a halt and watched the end of the corridor in front of me. 'They're going to come through there,' I thought slowly. 'I'm going to wait for Gally and then run with him to come up with a plan and get away from the Griever.'

'Why don't you just leave him?' A voice spoke from the back of my mind, 'You could easily get away, you know? Just abandon him, you have a promise to keep with Newt, remember? You have to stay alive.'

"I know that," I muttered aloud, trying to calm my nerves. "But I can't just leave him. Besides I have an idea, so just shut it." The voice remained silent and I returned to concentrating on the end of the corridor. Thankfully, it was a long one and I'd get a good view of whatever would approach…not that I particularly wanted to see the horror of a Griever.

The noise was unbearably loud now and I had to fight to urge to listen to the voice and just run for it, though I think I had become frozen in fear. 'I definitely should have run,' I thought just as Gally rounded the corner. A feeling of relief rushed through me as I saw the older boy, running like hell with an expression of absolute terror that looked as white as a sheet. I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out his name, "Gally!" He looked up and seemed both relieved and horrified to see me. He didn't reply and kept running, slightly faster than before. Just as I was about to turn and run, I saw it. The Griever.

The sight of it struck fear to the very depths of my soul and in a moment I knew I would see the thing in my nightmares forever. It looked horrendous, like a mad scientist had attempted to make a hybrid of animal and machine but failed. I didn't get a good look at it as it was moving terrifyingly fast and I didn't stop to try as I spun round, forgetting Gally, and ran blindly down the corridor.

Gally joined me in an instant and I grabbed his arm, pulling him along since I could run faster than he could. He didn't complain, only caring about staying alive. We didn't need to look behind us to know the Griever was right behind us. It didn't sound like it was gaining on us and I wondered if it was just playing with us in the minutes before it would take our lives.

We took several turns and ran down a number of long corridors. I didn't keep track of where we were going and knew that even if we did get away at this point we'd just end up horribly lost with no idea where we were. I saw a couple of vines I had cut earlier, but ignored them. My priority right now was getting the hell away from the bloody Griever.

With great, sucking heaves of breath, I tried to get oxygen in my lungs, but I knew I couldn't last long at this rate. My running had become a haphazard of flailing limbs as I pushed myself forwards with all the strength and adrenaline I could muster, not to mention I was desperately dragging Gally along with me. He was running at a good speed too, taking great leaps with his long legs, but it wasn't enough. I needed to come up with a plan now otherwise we'd both be dead in two minutes tops.

I made another turning and saw something that put any small glimmer of hope I had of surviving to a miserable end. At the end of the corridor before us stood another Griever. It had its back turned to us at first, but quickly turned around at the sound of the commotion and let out a terrible screech, similar to the one I'd first heard, and began to charge at us. I glanced around for a possible escape and noticed a free opening to our left. Hope flickered to life once more and I ran down almost excitedly.

My dreams were once again crushed once we were halfway down the corridor we'd run into. Unknowingly, I'd trapped us on the edge of the Cliff. 'I'm literally the biggest shuck-faced moron the world has ever seen!' I cursed myself repeatedly in my head as I pulled us short of the Cliff edge. Gally stared at it in horror, and then stared at me as if expecting an explanation.

"I just killed us," I muttered, running my hand through my hair. I glanced back at the Grievers who had slowed down as if they knew we were done for. They were clasping and unclasping their metal claws as if laughing at us mockingly. "We're definitely dead."

Gally returned his eyes to the Cliff. "Maybe we can push them off somehow? Like trick them into running off the edge…"

"How stupid do you think they are?!" I snapped at him. "They probably know better than to just fall off like idiots. What would we even push them off with? We don't have spears like they do in the Glade." I pulled out my two knives, "And I extremely doubt these will do any good." I looked again at the Grievers; they were still now, watching us as if choosing which one to kill first.

Seeing this, Gally stepped away from me. "They're going to pounce," he said quietly. "When they do, depending on which they attack first, make sure to move out of the way and run as fast as you can. Whichever of us is attacked…it's been good knowing you."

I stared at him in horror at what he just suggested and was about to protest when the Grievers made their move and pounced…at Gally.

Now, this is probably where any other person would have abandoned the obnoxious, arrogant ex-Keeper and run for a possible freedom. Apparently I wasn't fit to be called a normal person. Before my mind could fully register what was happening or decide what the logical thing to do was, I ran forwards and shoved Gally out of the way.

A mere moment later, the first Griever slammed into me. I felt all sorts of claws cut my skin and would have expected death in an instant but apparently the Grievers really were stupid because the momentum it used for its pounce sent us flying over the edge of the Cliff. Instinctively, I pushed my hands inside its blubbery skin, searching for something to hold onto. Something slices my legs and back and I yelled out as my fingertips brush what felt like a handle made of hard plastic. I pushed my hands deeper, creating disgusting squelching sounds, and gripped it tightly.

Then we were falling and my world was plunged into darkness.


	12. The Tunnel

'I must be in hell,' was my first thought when my mind finally regained enough self-awareness to realize it could still function. My body ached terribly and was wreaked with pain, enough to make me question whether or not I was alive or dead. I touched one of the painful places with my hand and winced, feeling some sort of oozing liquid coming from the area. Blood.

Groaning, I forced my heavy eyes open. The area would have been totally black if not for the square of sky hovering about three meters above. The first thing I noticed was the lifeless body of a Griever perched right on top of me.

At first, the fact I was lying under a Griever didn't register with my mind. I had to lie there for about two minutes, staring at it, for the information to fully compute. For some reason, I didn't feel any particular fear. Sure I was unnerved that I was right underneath the thing that had spent the previous fifteen minutes trying to kill me, that was understandable. It's just that I seemed to be suffering from a sort of emotional numbness that prevented me from really understanding what was going on. It was probably the near death experience and the fact that I should probably be dead.

Carefully, I removed myself from the slimy mass of flesh that had half-melded to my body in whatever amount of time I had remained in contact with it. It took a lot of effort and each movement was painful, but eventually I got myself into a standing position and used the small amount of light the square above me offered to study my immediate surroundings.

I appeared to be standing in a three meter high stone cylinder. It was damp, and covered in shiny, grimy oil, and it stretched out in front of me for as far as the small amount of light would let me see. I glanced back at the Griever, which lay directly under the square of sky, and began to study it more closely.

It looked even more grotesque up close, with a body that resembled a gigantic slug, sparsely covered in hair and glistening with slime similar to that which covered the walls of the cylinder. It had no head or tail that I could see, but was just over a meter long and a meter thick.

All over the Griever's body, sharp metal spikes poked through its flesh, all varying in size. Several mechanical arms stuck out here and there, each apparently serving a different purpose. Some had a couple of half broken, barely flickering lights attached to them. Others had long, scary looking needles and another had a three-fingered claw that was covered in blood. 'That's mine,' I thought, remembering my wounds. I glanced down at them worriedly, but I didn't feel particularly light headed yet so I guess I was alright. They didn't feel like they were bleeding profusely and I'd probably last a few more hours before things could get serious. Hopefully I'd have time to return to the Glade before the sun set.

However, I had more important things to do. Since the Griever was with me, I must have never left the Maze. Minho never mentioned a place like this, so it must be an unsearched area. If it could serve as a way out, I needed to discover everything I could about it before returning.

I searched my most recent memories as I turned away from the Griever to explore the darkness of the tunnel before me. The last thing I remembered was falling off the Cliff and grabbing on to the Griever… I looked down at my hand and clasped tightly in my fist was what appeared to be a handle, the kind you'd see on a switch. 'I must've broken it off by accident,' I thought, studying it for a moment before tossing it away. I had no idea what happened to us, but I guess I'd eventually figure it out if I explored the tunnel.

Feeling along the stone wall with my hands, I hobbled blindly into the darkness. Eventually, I hit the end of the tunnel. My path was blocked by another stone wall. I explored it with my hands, feeling for any sort of door. After a few minutes of searching, my fingers brushed against what felt like glass and a dim green light flickered on from a small square of grimy glass that seemed to be a screen. With this light, I noticed a keyboard beneath it, set into the wall and angled out enough for someone to type on it with ease. Further below the keyboard, a few inches above the floor, a small red button was set into the wall. Several words flickered through my mind at the sight of the keyboard, though, the most frequent being 'password'.

"I need to enter a code," I muttered and cracked my knuckled. "It's time to play the guessing game."

I tapped away at the keyboard, thinking of every possible password it might be. Eventually, I gave up on guessing the password and instead began to test my limits. I quickly discovered several things. First, the computer would only accept letters, not numbers or symbols. Second, the computer accepted a total of five letters at a time. After entering five letters, the previously typed letters would disappear. After typing five sets of five letters the computer wouldn't allow me to type any more letters. At first, this made me confused and I wondered if I broke it. Then I tried pressing the button. Nothing happened, but I was allowed to type letters into the computer again.

'Five sets of five letters,' I thought as I finally drew myself from the computer, satisfied that I'd gathered everything I could. 'That's the code we need to find, with that we can escape.' Excitement was building in my heart now, I might have just discovered more in twenty minutes than any Glader had in a year…well maybe not but it was still a pretty good achievement.

Deciding it was time to tend to my wounds; I ripped strips of clothing from my sleeves and wrapped them tightly around the more serious injuries on my arms and legs, applying as much pressure to them as I could. I tried to ignore the stabbing pain in my back from where the Griever had cut me, it seemed to be my most serious wound from the amount of pain I felt from it, but it was in an area that I couldn't reach and I'd just have to hope it wasn't deadly. I glanced at the Griever's dead body and grinned, despite the chill it sent through my body. "Thanks for trying to kill me," I said quietly. "Otherwise I'd never be here." I looked up at the square, then back down at the Griever. "I'm not sorry about this next bit, just saying." I picked up my bag, which had been lying pitifully to one side looking tattered and beaten, and slung it over my shoulders, careful of my back injury. Then I took a step towards the source of both my fear and my anger.

Gripping the creature's motionless limbs, I hoisted myself up onto its body, gaining as much height as I could. Then, using its body as a really big stool, I took a steady breath and pushed myself through the square hole. I immediately regretted this decision and knew I probably should have only poked my head through first to get a good look at what lay on the other side, but what was done was done and now I was going to deal with the consequences.

The consequences were terror and slamming into the side of the Cliff in a very painful manner that probably only made my injuries worse. I yelled out in pain and grabbed wildly for anything to hold on to. My feet dug into the Cliff wall desperately and my fingers dug into dirt and stone slabs. Using all the strength I could muster, I dragged myself up and over the edge and flopped onto my belly in a heaving mess of pain-filled sobs and gasps.

It took me the better part of three minutes to regain my bearings. I looked about myself and realized I was exactly where I had been standing earlier with Gally when we'd faced the two Grievers, except Gally and the other Griever were gone.

Morbid thoughts swarmed my mind, threatening to pull me into despair, but I pushed them all away. "I need to get back to the Glade," I wheezed, crawling to my feet. Somehow, the jump from the square hole to the Cliff had winded me and I had no energy left. I reached into my bag and, to my greatest pleasure, found a single, beaten apple that had been able to survive the fall. The main contents of my bag had been lost, scattered through the skies and off the Cliff most likely. Either that or it was still inside the strange tunnel. I turned to get a better look at where I'd come from, but the sky lay as open and empty before me as usual.

"What on earth," I murmured, amazed. "Is it invisible or something?" I threw a couple of rocks near where I thought I'd come from, but none of them hit their mark. My mind returned briefly to the time Minho told me about the other Glader's theory about how certain things disappeared and suddenly the joke about a magical Griever portal seemed more real in my mind than ever before. "I definitely need to bring Minho back here and we need to find out what that code is," I vowed, taking a bite out of my apple and turning away from the Cliff. I discarded my bag at the base of the Maze wall, taking only a surviving bottle of water with me. It would only be dead weight and an extra pain on my back.

I glanced at my watch and felt my blood turn cold at the sight of what the time was. I'd have to run at full speed if I wanted to make it back to the Glade before the doors shut. I devoured my apple hastily and took a swig of my water, gathering my energy. Then I ran.

Pain coursed through my body at an alarming rate as I ran and I had to grind my teeth to keep from yelling in agony. The rags I'd used as hasty bandages quickly became soaked with blood and after fifteen minutes I began to hear a steady dripping sound, undoubtedly blood from my back falling onto the stone behind me and leaving a trail of blood.

An hour passed and I finally reached Section Six. If I had been at full strength, I'd have probably been back at the Glade by now, safe and laughing with Newt and the others over a terrible joke made by Callum. Instead, my injuries were forcing me down to a slow jog-like stagger that made me look more and more like a wounded dog by the second. I soon began to feel light headed and my heart rate quickened in fear. I stopped myself and leaned against the wall, trying hard to keep my legs steady. I drank the last of my water, savoring the small gasp of energy it gave me, and carefully began removing the rags covering my wounds. They looked terrible, that's all the detail I care to give. The Griever had not been careful with its aim and the marks it left would surely scar.

I wrung each rag clear of blood, creating puddles that splashed with each new rag I squeezed. After getting them as clean as possible and replacing particularly terrible pieces of cloth with new ones, I began to re-bandage my injuries. This time, I ignored my smaller injuries which had already stopped bleeding and focused on the ones that were bleeding most, applying so much pressure it hurt and would probably stop blood circulation to several parts of my body. I didn't really care; I just wanted to make it back to the Glade without collapsing and dying from blood loss.

I only had a short amount of time left before the doors would close. I'd have to be even faster. Using every ounce of strength I had left, every fiber of my being, I propelled myself off the wall and once again staggered through the Maze. The bleeding was miraculously less than before and my head cleared briefly, enough to last me two thirds of the way to the Glade. Then, with only a few corridors left to go, I collapsed.

It had become too much for me.

I was done.

Death was the only thing left for me.

I wouldn't be able to keep Newt's promise.

I'd never see my friends again.

I couldn't tell the others about the exit.

I gave up hope and waited to die.

Then I heard footsteps.

Two sets of them, running in my direction.

I couldn't decipher whose footsteps they were, my mind was already too unfocused to tell, but I could take a pretty good guess.

I lifted my head ever so slightly, just enough to see the end of the corridor ahead.

After mere seconds, Newt and Minho rounded the corner.

They'd come for me.

"Claire!" Newt yelled in horror and sprinted even faster to reach my side. He looked like he wanted to reach out and hug me, but his hands hesitated and his expression twisted at the sight of me. "Oh God…"

"We need to get her back to the Glade," Minho stated shortly, crouching on the other side of me, "NOW."

I didn't hear Newt's reply, but definitely felt a lot of pain as they lifted me and carried me awkwardly down the corridor. The constant jostling and movement made the pain in my back almost unbearable and I was unable to hold back the tears that streaked down my face. I chewed on the neck of my shirt, doing all I could to keep my agony silent. I needed to. I kept my eyes open, trying hard to keep focused. I could only see the sky from the position I was in. It was steadily darkening as evening set in. It would only be a matter of time before the doors closed.

"Leave…me….." I managed to squeeze out, though my words were barely audible.

"Don't you dare start talking that klunk," Newt snapped from somewhere. He sounded angry at my proposal and I couldn't blame him. "Keep quiet and save your energy, you're gonna need it."

I complied and remained silent for the rest of the journey, instead focusing on keeping my breathing steady. It had become a difficult task and each breath felt like an individual stab to my lungs. It made me want to stop breathing, but I knew I had to live. Unfortunately, my ability to focus was waning and something that felt like a cloud of fog was slowly filling my mind, blocking my ability to think. My vision began to grow dark and I thought I heard other people's voices join Newt and Minho's just as my consciousness faded completely.


	13. The Awakening

I don't know what happened to me after that, but I faded in and out of consciousness a few times. I heard various voices above me, speaking in different tones at different times. I couldn't make sense of their words but I did my best to listen anyway, finding the familiar sounds comforting in the endless darkness of my mind.

After an indefinite amount of time, my eyes flickered open. I knew at last that I was awake and hoped to remain that way for a good amount of time, at least long enough to tell Minho about what I found and, most importantly, to see Newt.

I had been lying on my stomach and, with a groan of strain; I rolled over and pushed myself into a sitting position. Compared to how I had been in the Maze I felt like I could run ten miles without fail. I didn't want to run ten miles but at least I knew I could do it if my life depended on it. I glanced about, taking in my surroundings. I was on a bed in one of the rooms in the Homestead. Outside I could hear the sounds of Gladers hard at work. I went to check my watch for the time but it had been removed from my wrist and instead I saw that I was wearing different clothes. The ones I'd worn in the Maze, the ones I had been wearing since coming up in the Box, had been removed and replaced with a plain gray t-shirt that felt slightly oversized and some loose jogging bottoms. 'They're probably to give my injuries some space,' I thought, remembering the torn skinny jeans I had worn before.

There was an empty chair next to my bed and I wondered just how long I'd been asleep. Hours? Days? Weeks? Who had watched over me and for how long did they do it? "Um…excuse me?" I called out, hoping someone outside would answer. Almost immediately, a girl I didn't recognize poked her head through the door and stared at me with wide eyes.

"You're awake already?"

I shifted uncomfortably, "Uh…yeah. How long have I been asleep?"

"Only three days. We thought you'd be asleep for at least a week but I guess you're healing faster than they thought." She paused, thinking for a moment. "Should I tell Newt you're awake?"

I perked up at the sound of Newt's name. "Yes! You should get Minho too, there's something I need to tell them."

The girl nodded and left. Letting out a sigh, I repositioned my pillow so that it was behind me and rested on it, leaning against the wall. I studied my arms that were littered with numerous cuts and bruises. "I'm going to have more scars than I can count when these heal," I muttered.

Newt was the first to arrive. I had been expecting tears of joy and relief, but the first thing I noticed when he walked in was that he was angry…very angry. "Oh, look, you're alive," he smirked bitterly, falling into the chair by my bed. "After what Gally told me, I thought you were dead. We all thought you were dead."

"Well here I am," I murmured with a weak smile, not sure how to respond to his attitude.

"Yeah, you are. Now, just what was it that Gally told me? What was it you did? You did WHAT? What's this about you sacrificing yourself to save Gally?"

"I was just…"

"I told you that if you ever encountered any sort of bloody trouble you were to get your buggin' arse out of the Maze! You were to come right back. You were supposed to leave, Claire. It wasn't an option, you shank, it was an order. I care about you, okay?! You're still new to the Maze, you don't know everything. You think you have it all figured out but you don't. Newbies aren't supposed to go getting themselves in this kind of klunk. I told Alby and Harriet that it was too soon, too dangerous, but they didn't listen. Nobody listens! YOU don't listen!"

He got up and kicked his chair across the room, his breath rising and falling heavily as he tried to control his breathing. He glared at me, "You're NOT going back in that Maze again, at least not without me or Minho." His eyes softened slightly and suddenly he looked afraid, like a puppy being left on its own in the house for the first time. It broke my heart. "Claire, you're my everything. Before you showed up I…I was seriously considering ending it, you know? I was in a bad place, Claire; I could see there was no way out even before Minho finished mapping the whole place. I knew it and I was going to do things, so many things." He gradually lowered himself into a kneeling position next to my bed, his hands cupped mine and I could feel they were shaking slightly. Tears moistened in his eyes. "I was going to kill myself, Claire, climb up one of those bloody walls and jump right off. But I didn't and that's because you were there. If you aren't here, life is meaningless. We made a promise, remember? I won't die if you won't. You can't die, Claire…I love you."

Tears were flowing freely from my eyes now. I gripped his shaking hands tightly and pressed my forehead against his. "I love you too, Newt. I promised I wouldn't die and I kept that promise, I'm still here aren't I?" I smiled at him, "I'll never leave you, Newt."

Newt didn't reply, just let go of my hands to wrap his own around me, holding me gently. "Don't get hurt like that again, either. If I had to see you in that state again…I don't even want to think about it."

I stoked his hair soothingly. "Hey, it's okay. I promise, alright? I don't really want to go through that again either." I chuckled, "Besides, I've probably had periods where I've lost more blood than that."

Newt pulled away, grimacing. "Ew, Claire, no! We were just having a moment!" He rubbed away some tears that had leaked from his eyes, holding back laughter.

"What do you mean by probably?" A new voice asked. We turned to see Dan and Minho standing just outside the door. Dan looked confused and Minho was grinning madly as if he'd just walked in on the funniest scene in the world.

"Well, girls in the Glade don't have periods," I explained, keeping a straight face. "The Creators must've realized it would be waaay too inconvenient to have bleeding girls everywhere so they might have made sure we couldn't have periods. We won't be able to have kids, which sort of sucks for those who want them I guess, but I'm extremely glad. Can you imagine how many sanitary towels we'd need every month for over twenty girls? We'd need hundreds! At least a dozen per girl at any time just in-"

"Alright, alright, already way too much information," Newt said abruptly, covering my mouth with his hand which had stopped shaking, though I could tell he hadn't quite recovered and probably wouldn't for a while. "You may have just scarred Dan for life, I don't think he knew."

Dan shook his head slowly, looking pale. "We leave the girl stuff for the girl med-jacks…"

"See?"

Minho looked on the verge of suffocation, holding back laughter as if his life depended on it. Smirking, I beckoned him inside. "Come in, Minho, I have something to tell you. Dan, you should probably go tell the others I'm awake. Don't let them in, though. They can see me later, but not right now." Dan nodded and left quickly.

"What's this you want to tell me?" Minho asked as he closed the door, a faint smile still on his face.

"Before that, tell us what on earth HAPPENED to you? Gally said you bloody disappeared with a Griever when you fell off the Cliff!"

"Well, basically, what I want to tell you IS what happened to me. You're not going to believe what I found." Minho pulled another chair from the corner and sat on the other side of my bed, ready to listen. After taking a deep breath I explained everything. I explained everything from the moment I first heard the Griever's howls in the Maze to when I saw Newt and Minho coming to save me. I made sure to give every detail I could remember about the place I ended up calling the Griever Tunnel, paying particular attention to the computer and the code it required. When I was finished, Minho and Newt were both leaning back in their chairs, staring at me with expressions so jumbled with different emotions I could hardly describe them.

"So you found a way out, but we need a code to be able to use it?" Minho said slowly.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Five sets of five letters, then we have to push the button near the floor."

"Any ideas where we might find the code?" Newt asked. "Were there any clues?"

"None," I shook my head sadly.

"Even if we don't understand it now, this is huge," Minho chuckled, a huge grin spreading across his face. "All we need is a code to enter in that computer, and then we're out! Do you realize how close we are, Newt? You literally have the greatest girlfriend ever. She killed a Griever..."

"I don't think it was me who killed it," I muttered.

"…she found us a way out…"

"Which was completely by accident," I added.

"…AND she learned exactly what kind of code we need to look for to escape!"

"…well I guess I did that part, but it's not THAT important," I grumbled. "Anyone would've done it."

"Oh, stop being all humble," Newt chuckles, hitting my arm gently. "He's right, anyone else would've been satisfied the moment they found out we needed a code and wouldn't have bothered going deeper to find out the entire basis of the code and what it contained."

"Plus you used the dead corpse of a Griever to leap across open air to get to the Cliff and I think that's pretty hardcore," Minho added, still grinning like a madman.

"Enough with the compliments," I snapped, trying to hide my reddening cheeks. "Does anyone even know what the code could actually be?"

The boys remained silent, glancing at each other to see if one of them had even the faintest idea. I rolled my eyes. "Well you need to tell the other Runners about this," I sighed. "We're gonna need all the help we can get. You should also tell Alby and Harriet, they can't be kept from this."

They nodded simultaneously but it was Newt who spoke next. "We can't let the other Gladers know about this. We don't want to stir up unnecessary excitement."

Minho and I nodded. I watched them get up and open the door…to reveal a wide-eyed Greenie standing right outside. We were all silent for a few seconds, staring at each other, before Minho grabbed the boy by the neck of his shirt and dragged him in. Newt closed the door and moved his seat to the end of my bed, where the Keeper pushed Erik and forced him to sit.

"How much did you hear?" Newt asked, with his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Erik looked uncomfortable but still held the ability to speak. "Not much. Just some stuff about finding a way out of the Maze but needing a code to use it and having no idea what the code is."

I groaned. "Erik, that's EVERYTHING. Listen, you can't tell anyone about this. Not anyone, it has to remain a secret. You have no idea how important this is and if you tell anyone I can't guarantee your safety."

"She's right," Minho growled. "I can get rather angry when certain people annoy me. I don't mind having one less Glader if it's you."

Erik whimpered and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, anyway you have to promise."

His eyes locked with mine and he frowned, uncertain. "Well…I wasn't really going to tell anyone anyway. I was actually wondering if I could help."

"Help?" Newt asked, surprised, "You?"

Erik's chest puffed out with annoyance. "Yes me! What harm can I do, anyway? You lot aren't doing any better by yourselves so you might as well have an extra head, even if you don't count mine."

"Yeah, your head's more like a toe," Minho muttered dryly, earning a glare from Erik.

"Alright, everyone calm down," I sighed. "Erik, I suppose you have at least one idea?"

The boy nodded. "The Maze."

"What about it?"

"The Maze is the code. It has to be."

"What makes you say that?" Newt asked, intrigued.

Erik shrugged, "It just feels kind of obvious. It changes every night, so it might be some kind of code. Like if you look at the different arrangements in a certain way it reveals a hidden code."

"Well, it's true that the maze walls follow a pattern," I agreed, "so it's not entirely impossible."

"We haven't had the time to study the maps in every way possible, we might as well dedicate ourselves to it," Minho murmured uncertainly, his eyes remaining narrowed on Erik. "When you're all better, Claire, you should come down and help. While you guys do that I'm gonna go and find that invisible portal you described."

I glanced out the window and realized it was early evening, the sun was just beginning to set and the doors would close soon. "Right now?"

"No, I'm not as stupid as you, slinthead," Minho laughed, banging the top of my head lightly with his fist. "Tomorrow. How healthy do you feel, by the way?"

"Better than I felt in the Maze. Did the med-jacks give any details about that injury on my back? I don't really know what's up with it; just that it hurts like a bitch."

Newt shook his head. "They only know that it was your most serious injury. You needed a lot of stitches and it's gonna leave a pretty horrible scar when it finally does heal."

"Will my physical abilities be okay when it's healed?"

"You'll be as right as rain," Minho assured me. "At least that's what Dan said. It was a miracle you didn't get stung by the way."

I remembered the needles I saw on the Griever's arms and shuddered. "I barely missed it. Seriously, those things look creepier up close and dead than they look when they're far away and alive. I can't believe I lay right beneath one for however many hours I was in there for." I shook my head in disbelief. "Also, what was the story Gally told you guys?"

"Well after you pushed him out of harm's way, he saw you disappear into thin air with a Griever. Another Griever fell off the Cliff directly behind the first one, but must have missed whatever invisible portal you guys went through because Gally saw it fall into oblivion."

"That explains where the second Griever went," I sighed, relaxing. "I'd actually like to see the guy I almost gave my life for, by the way. Can you go get him?" Newt nodded and grabbed the two Asian boys by their arms, dragging them out.

I was left in silence for about ten minutes before Gally slowly came through the door. He had a haunted look on his face and seemed to be covered with a number of small injuries. He took Minho's empty chair and together we sat without saying a word.

Five minutes into the silence, Gally spoke. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You know what. Why did you push me out of the way? Why did you save me? I thought you died!"

"So did I, but then I woke up and realized there was a dead Griever on top of me. God only knows how that happened. As for why I saved you…I don't know why. My body just moved on its own." I shrugged, "I guess your idea of abandoning whoever gets attacked pissed me off a little."

Gally snorted, "Sure."

"I guess my debt has been returned now, hasn't it?"

"What?"

"Well on my first day in the Glade you saved my life by pushing me to the ground and keeping me from running through the Glade doors. I owed you my life. Now I owe you nothing because I pushed you out of the way of the Griever's and kept you from dying a gruesome death."

"But you could've been the one who died a gruesome death! I never risked my life for you! I never gave my life for you!"

"Maybe not but then again I never gave my life for you either; I'm still alive after all. I only risked it. I may have only survived because of sheer dumb luck, but I'm not about to complain. I may not have a heroic tale to tell about how I slay a mighty Griever but I'm alive and that's all that really matters."

Gally just stared at me as if I had two heads. "You're an idiot."

"Probably," I agreed.

The next day was a complicated one. I had to explain, once again, all the events of what happened to me in the Maze to Alby and Harriet. They were just as astounded by the information as Newt and Minho had been, but they also agreed that we should only tell a few trusted Gladers. All my friends came over to visit me and I swear it was the most tiring half an hour of my life. Everyone wanted details of what happened but I swore I couldn't tell them anything. In the end all they were able to get out of me were the details on what a Griever looked like, sounded like, smelled like, and anything else I could remember on them. Hawk also came to visit me with Maria. The girl had become kinder after what happened in the Maze but I couldn't tell whether I had earned her pity or her admiration. I also practiced walking. Newt helped me as I took baby steps across the room, cheering me on with words of encouragement. It didn't take long for a builder to appear with crutches. They helped me a lot.

I couldn't really understand why I was struggling so much to walk. The med-jacks explained it was due to a lot of things: blood loss, the wound on my back, various fairly serious injuries on my legs that I hadn't paid attention to before, strain, and a couple of other things. Whatever the cause, my legs were weak and I wouldn't be able to walk for a while. Dan assured me that I'd be able to walk without assistance in a day or two if I stayed in by bed and got plenty of rest. I didn't like the idea of being bed bound; I was itching to get up and about, but agreed….my only exception being the Greenie.

Gally carried me on his back, as promised, to the Box where others stood waiting impatiently for the lift to come up. Newt wasn't particularly happy, but he knew Gally was one of the strongest, physically, in the Glade and that he'd have the least trouble when carrying me. I kissed him on the cheek playfully, "Oh lighten up, Newt. It's not like I'm doing something terrible, it's just a piggy back ride."

Newt cheered up a bit after the kiss, but refused to leave my side as we stood just outside the crowd of Gladers around the box and even insisted on holding my hand. I didn't mind, of course. I thought it was cute that he was getting jealous. 'I can use this to tease him,' I thought evilly.

I listened to the grinds and rattles of the rising lift which finally ended with a muffled boom that announced the Box had arrived. I watched in anticipation as Alby and Harriet took positions on opposite sides of the shaft doors and carefully opened the box. A puff of dust from the surrounding stone rose into the air as the doors were dragged apart with a metallic scrape.

Harriet leaned over to get a better look into the box, and then she and Alby grabbed a nearby rope and lowered it into the box. They had to speak a few soothing words to calm whoever the new Greenie was but eventually they managed to pull her out.

I had a good view of her from here. She had short, blonde hair with a fringe and bright green eyes. She stood up quickly and stared about herself, her forehead creased with worry and confusion. She studied each face in the crowd, ignoring Harriet as she attempted to explain something. Finally, her eyes met my own and immediately the colour drained from her face and her eyes filled with terror. "Oh no," I heard her say, "oh no, oh no, oh no!" Suddenly, her body grew rigid and after a brief pause she steadily paced towards me. Gally set me down carefully, watching the Greenie with a suspicious glare. Newt tried to stand between us but I held out my hand to stop him. Something about this new girl was off and I was going to let her face me whether it was a bad idea or not.

Once she was about two meters away from me, she stopped and stretched out her finger to point directly at me. "You," she said with an emotionless voice, "you're the one who's going to destroy it all. You are a mistake in this world, an anomaly, a glitch. If you continue they will have no choice but to kill you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You are not ready to leave," the girl continued, her voice quieter now. "Stop or you shall die, and others shall die with you…" and then she collapsed.


	14. The Key

The girl didn't move after she collapsed and for a few moments everyone was completely silent, staring at her motionless body and replaying the past scene in their heads. "What the shuck was that?" Someone called out from the crowd, a voice I didn't recognize.

"Do you know her?" Gally asked tentatively. He was giving me a strange look, as if he was suspicious that I might have committed some sort of heinous crime.

"Of course not," I snapped at him. "She just came out of the bloody Box! How could I possibly know her?"

"Well she certainly seemed to know you," Alby said quietly, walking over. "She seemed to be warning us about something, too. Apparently you're doing something someone doesn't want you to do."

Images flashed in my mind and I gave Newt a sideways glance. He nodded knowingly. 'It must be the Tunnel,' I thought, not daring to say the words out loud even though it didn't really matter anymore. With the girl's words our secret had been spilled, the others would find out about the Tunnel sooner or later and chances were that they wouldn't like what they heard, especially not after that warning.

"She was probably sent by the Creators with a message." Maria spoke up, "A message of warning, a warning about Claire. She must be doing something they don't want, something that will 'destroy' 'everything'." She glared at me, "And if you don't stop, we're all going to die for it."

Before she even finished her declaration, the Gladers around her burst into a flurry of shouts and arguments. With everyone talking at once it was hard to make sense of anything and Alby had to scream at everyone to shut up. "Shuck it, you shanks," he said, exasperated. "I get that there's a lot of klunk to discuss right now but we can't do that if you all start blabbing like a bunch of buggin' slintheads!"

I was kind of impressed that Alby had been able to use almost all the Glader slang in one sentence, but knew better than to bring it up and remained silent. "We need to hold a Gathering," Newt said firmly, locking his eyes with the male Leader. Groans of frustration rose from the crowd but Harriet shushed them instantly.

"Newt's right," she agreed. "We need a Gathering ASAP. Everyone who isn't a Keeper or isn't involved in this bazaar situation in any way should get their butts back to work." She pointed at me, "Claire, you're coming with me. We're gonna have to do this thing in your room, considering your unfortunate state. You'd better get your story straight 'cause you're gonna be explaining every word you explained to us, but to these guys." She gestured to the group of Keepers that was forming next to us as other Gladers began to walk off.

Dan came up to us, shuffling nervously from foot to foot. "Um…what should we do with the Greenie?"

Harriet glanced at the girl who was lying forgotten on the grass. "What do you think? Take her to one of the rooms in the Homestead and don't let anyone see her. Check if she's injured and try to find out why she collapsed. Let me know what you find when I'm free."

Dan nodded and went to sort the girl out with the other Med-Jacks. Harriet turned to our group, which was almost fully formed. Once the last Keeper was with us we walked as a group to Homestead. Being carried on Gally's back felt awkward now that I was surrounded by Keepers and my fists kept clenching nervously.

"If you keep doing that you're going to strangle me," Gally complained.

I relaxed my grip. "Sorry, I'm just a little on edge."

"Can't blame you for that; a girl just came up prophesying your contribution to our inevitable deaths. I'd be running for the hills if I were you."

"Unfortunately I can't run right now. That's why you're carrying me."

"Shut it and walk," Newt muttered grimly. At some point he had grabbed Erik and was pulling him along with us, despite his protests. As if sensing my confusion, he added, "He knows about it so he's going to hear the entire story. That idea he had about the Maze being the code…I want to hear more about it. I think there might be something to work with there."

Gally raised his eyebrows angrily. "Why do I feel like Erik the massive failure knows more about our current situation than I do?"

"I remember saying to shut up and walk," Newt replied bluntly. "I'll explain everything later."

Gally grumbled a little but remained mostly quiet until we were in my room and I was settled in my bed. It was a tight squeeze considering there were over 15 Gladers standing around uncomfortably. I realized it had probably been a bad idea to host a Gathering in my bedroom, but no one looked like they were about to leave any time soon.

"Alright," Frypan said suddenly, "can someone finally explain what's going on?"

Harriet nodded at me. "Explain everything that happened to you that day in the Maze, from start to finish. Don't leave anything out."

I nodded and began talking instantly, the story still fresh in my mind from the other two times I had told it. It took almost half an hour to finish; I went into a lot of detail, almost more than before, and everyone was wearing pretty much the same expression Newt, Minho, Harriet and Alby had all worn when they heard it. Even Gally, who was there for all the scary parts, looked vaguely mortified.

"Damn girl," I heard Lorna mutter. "I knew you went through klunk in the Maze but that's a lot more klunk than I expected."

"It feels kinda like a massive punch in the gut," Clint moaned, rubbing his eyes. "Like they've presented us with a door but it's locked and we have no key."

"Actually," I said quietly, drawing attention to myself once again, "I don't think they presented it to me. I doubt I was meant to find it at all, at least not yet."

"What do you mean?" Gally asked, confusion showing all over his face.

"Well you heard what that girl said, right? She called me a mistake, an anomaly, and told us we weren't supposed to leave yet. I think I found a door we weren't supposed to find until later. They were warning us not to look for the key, which means it's completely within our power to find it if we try."

"But she also suggested that we'd all die if we looked," a girl I didn't know reminded us.

"No, she said that I would die and that others would die with me. That doesn't mean everyone will die."

"I never for a moment thought we'd ever find an escape that wouldn't end with at least a little death," Minho spoke up. He'd been silent and watchful the entire time, but now he spoke. "I don't know what you guys think, but wherever that Tunnel leads is surely going to be a lot better than all the klunk we've suffered in here. Fifteen months we've been stuck in this shucking Maze, fifteen!" He hit his fist against the wall in anger. "I've hated every second in this place and I know you guys have too," he glanced at Newt for a second before returning his eyes to the Keepers, "If there's an exit within our reach then I don't care if I have to break that buggin' door down with my bare hands, I'm getting out of here!"

A number of the Gladers cheered with approval, but a good amount of the remained silent and uncertain. The group seemed evenly divided between those who were eager to leave and those who were eager to remain alive for as long as they could.

Newt rolled his eyes disapprovingly. "Really? Do you guys really think life in the Glade is safe? Do you remember the people who have died? The people who have suffered? If we don't take this chance to escape their deaths would have been meaningless."

The girl who had spoken earlier looked down at her feet miserably and muttered, "But what good would it do for them if we all died?"

No one could think of an answer for that and the room fell into silence. Harriet sighed, "Minho, what do you think our chances are of finding this 'Key' and how quickly do you think we could get our paws on it?"

Minho shrugged his shoulders and nodded towards Erik who hadn't said a word since entering the room. "Our infamous little Greanbean seems to be the only shuck-faced idiot around who has the slightest idea what the Key is."

Newt nodded. "According to Claire, the Key is a sort of password, consisting of five sets of five letters."

"They're obviously words," Erik muttered. "Five five letter words, that narrows it down to the fact that they should make sense at least."

"So many fives," I heard Minho whisper to himself.

A Keeper rolled his eyes, "And where do you suggest we find these words, oh genius of the Glade."

Erik folded his arms and nodded towards Minho. "With the Maze, the maps of the Maze will show us the code."

"But they haven't even explored the entire Maze yet," Lorna sighed, "so there's no way we can find the entire code even if that IS where it is."

Alby and Harriet exchanged a nervous glance and Minho stretched casually. "Well, actually…"

The Keeper of the Runners explained the situation with the Maps and the Maze quickly and shortly, opening up a flood of outbursts and angry yelling that meant Alby had to scream at everyone to be quiet…again.

"If this keeps up you're gonna lose your bloody voice," Newt sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Tell me about it," he growled, sitting down on the end of my bed. "So now that it's clear that we have all the completed Maps, continue, Greenie."

"I'm not the Greenie anymore," Erik frowned.

"I said continue, Greenie," Alby snarled, losing his patience.

"Well, to be honest, I don't actually have anything else to say."

"You what?" Minho showed an expression of extreme annoyance and I wondered if he would attack Erik then and there.

The boy gulped, "Well…I'd only really thought as far as realizing the Maps were the code. If they repeat themselves every month then it must be true, right? One month's worth of Maps is where the Key is hidden."

"But should we really look for it?" Harriet asked, glancing at the Keepers. "If we heed the Creators warning, we're just going along with their plan. We have a way out and it's up to us to decide what to do with it." She repositioned herself in the seat she was sitting in and Bonnie, who had been standing behind her in silence, pulled out a notepad and paper. Harriet continued, "I'll take suggestions from all the Keepers present; tell me what you think we should do. Lorna, you start."

My friend looked startled and unprepared, but after looking at me quickly she seemed to know what we should do. "I think we should look into the Maps, find the Key, and get our butts out of this shuck Maze as fast as possible. Some of us will die, yes, but we should be prepared for that. If I am to die for the sake of another's freedom, so be it."

"Nice speech, very inspirational." Bonnie wrote a few things on her paper before looking up. "Right, Frypan, you-"

"I vote Lorna's plan," the Cook said instantly. "Her opinion is pretty much the same as mine." Several other Gladers nodded and raised their hands, signaling that they agreed with Lorna.

Harriet rolled her eyes, "Well this is one messed up Gathering; all order is out the window…"

Bonnie wrote down a few more things. "Who has an opinion different to Lorna's?" A few Keepers, including the girl, raised their arms. "Samantha, why don't you start?"

The girl, Samantha, nodded. "I think we should listen to the Creators. If we do, we're guaranteed survival. Also, I don't think we should go out into the Maze anymore. If we already have the Maps and know the location of the way out, we don't really need to go out there anymore. We should tell the other Gladers everything we know and just play the waiting game until the Creators send us a sign telling us we can leave. It's a sure way to survive."

"Thank you, Sam. Who agrees with everything she said?" One Keeper put up his hand. "Okay, so that's you and Samantha for the side of total submission. Who's next?" This process went on a couple more times and the variety of opinions ranged from staying in the Maze forever to breaking out immediately, even without the Key. In the end, though, most Keepers supported Lorna's suggestion and I felt my affection for her strengthen immediately.

"Well, personally, I agree with Lorna as well," Bonnie said, looking down at Harriet. "There was never going to be an easy way out and the idea of doing exactly what these Creators don't want us to do is really shucking great."

Harriet nodded, smiling, and turned to Alby. "What do you think?"

He took a deep breath before answering. "I think this entire plan is reckless and will most likely end with most of our deaths. However, I think it's necessary. We only have two choices in this situation: find the Key as fast as possible and try to escape with as little death as possible, or submit to the Creator's will completely and remain in the Maze by our own choice. If we did the latter, this entire situation we're in would be our fault and our fault alone." He stood up from his chair. "I say we find that Key."

The grin on Harriet's face as Alby said those words was unbelievable. "I couldn't agree more." She stood up and turned to Bonnie. "Let me guess: the vote says we should get our butts to the Map Room and start looking for a way out?"

Bonnie counted the votes and nodded slowly. "Yup, though we shouldn't all go look. We should probably leave most of the Key searching to the Runners and a couple of really smart Gladers. We don't want to attract too much suspicion." She glanced at Samantha who was currently silently fuming where she stood. "Your idea that we should tell the other Gladers everything was also outvoted. I don't think we should tell the others until we have a firm idea on what's going on."

Samantha snarled angrily and pointed at me sharply. "That girl was right. You ARE a glitch in our world. You're going to destroy everything we've worked so hard for and drag us all into hell!" She spat on the floor at the end of my bed and gave me a look so sharp she could cut air with the blade she made with it. "They WILL stop you. Don't think they'll let you waltz through the Tunnel or let you find the Key. They're going to stop you somehow and when they do you'll regret ever having come out of that Box." With that, she whirled around and stormed out of the room, shoving Gladers out of her path as she went.

Minho whistled, "Shuck-face doesn't know what she's talking about. She's almost as arrogant and short tempered as Gally, except she has no hot chick to tame her." He gave Gally a look of fake pity, "It's a shame yours already has a hot boyfriend, mate. Maybe it's the potato face…"

Gally didn't hesitate to lob his shoe at Minho's face. "Shut your shuck mouth, Minho!" He snarled angrily. I couldn't tell if his face was red from anger or embarrassment, either way I couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped my mouth. The ex-Keeper shot me a glare. "I have two shoes, blondie, and I'm not afraid to chuck the other one at a girl."

"Do that and I'll break your bloody neck," Newt growled.

"Bring it, shuck-face."

"Can you please stop having territory wars in the middle of a Gathering, we're supposed to be the sensible people here," Harriet sighed.

"I'm already in love with Newt, so I don't know what there is to argue about," I said bluntly. "I doubt I'll live long enough to change my mind, though I doubt I ever could, so anyone who has a thing for me should quickly switch their eyes to someone else. I'm pretty certain that Samantha's single."

Almost everyone in the room laughed at that last statement, if they hadn't already been laughing. Bonnie nodded, "Good that. Alright, I think this Gathering's as over as it'll ever be. Let's get our butts back to work. Claire, get a lot of sleep today. I want you healthy as soon as possible to help us search for the Key."

I nodded and snuggled deeper under the covers of my bed as Gladers filed out of the room. Once everyone had left, despite the swarm of thoughts in my brain and the excitement growing in my heart, I fell asleep.

It was another three days before I manage a slow run without any help, but that was my limit and it only lasted a few seconds before a pain started growing in my back. "I'm like an old man now," I complained, rubbing my back.

"Yeah, well just be glad we don't have to do any more running in the Maze now that we've dedicated ourselves to the Maps," Minho laughed, hitting my shoulder gently. Most of the Runners were still out in the Maze, so that we didn't attract unwanted attention from the other Gladers, but a small number of people had been chosen to help us look for the Key. Erik, who was never missed from anywhere, had been chosen, in case he made any more simplistic observations that we would overlook. James was an obvious choice and he seemed glad to finally have a time to shine. Callum was also with us and was currently comparing various Maps from various days. Today was my first day in the Map Room after what had happened in the Maze and I found myself feeling nostalgic.

"It's been a long time…"

"It's barely been a week," Callum muttered.

I patted the Maps around me. "I missed you guys."

"They're pieces of paper incapable of recognizing or returning human emotions of any sort. You'll be getting nice and close with them soon enough. Now, work, shuck-face."

I grumbled and took a seat at the table, grabbing a couple of Maps. "Have you found anything yet?"

"Not even a letter," Minho sighed, scratching his cheek. "Not even part of a letter."

"How are Maps of the Maze supposed to reveal freaking letters anyway?" Callum asked, holding two Maps up to the light. "Is it a code? Do the wall patterns reveal something if we arrange them in some way?"

I shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe if we stack them on top of each other, like you're doing right now, we'll see something."

"Like putting a puzzle together?" Erik asked, his eyes lighting up with realization.

I patted his shoulder patronizingly. "Yes, Erik, well done! Minho, do we have paper that's any more…see through than this?" I held up the paper, "We can barely see the lines of one map through this stuff."

James was the one who replied. "We could use the wax paper from Frypan's kitchen? I don't think he'd appreciate it since the Cooks use that stuff for baking, but if we explain it to him and have Bonnie vouch for us I'm sure we can persuade him."

I nodded, standing up with a groan, "I'll go talk to them. I can extract pity from them if I have to by falling over or something."

Callum laughed as I walked out of the room. I was able to find Bonnie faster than I was able to find Frypan and I quickly explained what we needed and why. "Wait here," she told me before walking off in the direction of the kitchens. Less than ten minutes later she returned with a huge pile of wax paper held in her arms. "Careful with this, don't you dare drop it. If Frypan sees you guys waste even a single page of this stuff he will freak."

I chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll be careful." I took the paper from her and grunted. The paper weighed more than it looked and was putting a slight strain on my back.

Bonnie watched me with concern. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I'll be fine; it doesn't hurt that much. Go back to work and I'll get back to mine." I turned and walked back to the Map Room, taking longer to get back than I thought I would.

Minho glanced up when I finally returned. They had set up all the Maps from all the different sections and put them in eight different piles. "They're ordered by date," James explained as I put the paper down on the table and took a seat. "If we gather a few more people, we can copy the maps quickly and see if there's a certain way we can lay them out that will reveal something. Hopefully it will reveal those words that make the Key."

"It would probably be something like a letter per day," Harriet's voice came from the doorway. We looked up to see her smirking down at us. "Bonnie told me about your plan and I've come to lend you a hand. Something tells me you'll need it. I also had Bonnie gather up a couple of people we can trust and people who can draw."

"What do you mean by a letter per day?" Erik asked.

"Well it's five sets of five letters, right? Five multiplied by five equals twenty five. The fact that there are five letters missing from this theory is what's confusing me most, but I'm sure we'll figure that out when we finally find this Key." She cracked her knuckles, causing everyone to cringe. "Now, let's get cracking."

"Oh the puns," Minho muttered as everyone grabbed a Map and a piece of wax paper. After using a nearby pair of scissors to cut the wax paper to the size of a Map, I set to work on tracing the lines of the Maze. Using my rarely used artistic skill, I made quick work of the first Map and moved on to the second in a flash.

"All that practice you've had when doodling on that magical tree of yours is finally coming to good use," Newt's voice spoke suddenly, startling me. He was working on his own Map next to me and I realized he must have come to help and I'd been too absorbed by my work to notice.

"Yeah," I agreed with a smile, thinking back to my tree in the Deadheads. I hadn't been there as much recently, but Newt and I went there occasionally to talk or just spend time together. He was the only person I'd shown the tree to, I didn't even show it to Bonnie or Lorna. It was our secret. Well, ours and the Beetle Blades that disturbed us every now and then. They'd appeared so often that I eventually was able to create a fairly accurate carving of one in the bark of the tree. "It's been a while since we've been up there."

"If all goes well with this, we might never go up there again," he said quietly, though he didn't look particularly sad. "I don't really mind though. I'm sorry about all your drawings, but I'm just way too glad to finally be getting out of here." He sighed, sounding relatively happy, "I'm glad I didn't…"

"Yeah," I interrupted him, "so am I."

Our conversation ended there and we continued working in silence.

It was near the end of the day when we finally stopped working. "I can't feel my fingers," Erik complained, sprawled across the floor. He'd given up ages ago and spent most of his time complaining about things.

Dan rubbed his hands together, "Why did we let him in here? Whose idea was that?"

"It was mine," I groaned. "I made a mistake; I thought he'd be useful for once…"

Minho laughed, "We're more likely to see flying Grievers than a useful Erik!"

"That's terrifyingly true and now I'm going to have nightmares," James grumbled.

"Everyone shut it!" Newt snapped. "Let's just rest our fingers and see if we can arrange these pages in a way that allows us to see any kind of letter or word or number. Anything, I don't care what, just find something!"

We all nodded and were about to dive in when Lorna suddenly burst into the room. "Guys, we need you like right now."

Harriet looked up, her face in full serious mode. "What's wrong?"

"Come and see for yourselves." She disappeared back through the Map Room door and we were all quick to follow. Lorna was standing just outside, pointing at the Glade doors.

Callum stared at them, confused. "So what's the problem?"

"Can't you see it, shuck-face?" She snapped. "It's almost late evening!"

"And?"

Lorna cursed the stupidity of people and attempted to calm down. "AND, you complete idiot, they aren't shucking closed!"


	15. The Hunt

I slapped my hand to my face, annoyed at myself. "Shuck it!" I snapped, "THIS is how they're going to stop us?!"

"Letting the Grievers in our Glade," Dan murmured, his eyes wide with horror, "they're gonna kill us all!"

"Who votes for running around screaming in dysfunctional panic?" Lorna chirped nervously, eyeing the doors that openly showed us the darkness of the Maze. The sun was almost completely set and with the doors wide open we'd make an easy meal for the Grievers.

"We need to get everyone to a safe place," Harriet said firmly.

Minho glanced over at the Homestead, "I don't think that place can hold off a hoard of Grievers, chief."

"Do you have any better ideas?!"

"We could get a bunch of people in the Map Room," I suggested. "It's probably a lot safer in there, harder to get into. The Slammer could also serve as a pretty good spot; I don't think any Grievers could fit through that tiny window."

Harriet nodded, "I don't think we should subject anyone to a night in the Slammer with Grievers on the prowl, but I like your idea about the Map Room. You're right that not many of us will be able to fit in there, maybe twenty if we squeeze together, but it would definitely be safer than in the Homestead." She glanced around and focused her eyes on something in the distance. "I have to go. Newt, find Alby and help round everybody up. Everyone else…do what they shucking say." With that she ran off.

The next twenty minutes were a mess of fear and confusion. Alby and Harriet gathered all the Keepers and put them in charge of making assignments and getting their groups inside the Homestead as fast as they could manage. Bonnie and Frypan were taking all the nonperishable food from the kitchen to the Homestead and Map Room, just in case they ended up trapped inside.

Alby agreed on my idea to put as many people inside the Map Room, agreeing that it was safer than the Homestead. They split the Gladers into two groups, Group A and Group B. Group A was set inside the Homestead and Group B was set inside the Map Room. Thankfully, I found myself in Group A with Newt, Gally, Minho, and most of my friends. Minho was mad and wanted to be able to work on the Maps through the night if they were going to be trapped anyway, but Bonnie yelled him down and told him that he'd have a better chance of surviving the night than most of the other Gladers and should be able to let someone else take their free ticket to life.

We'd be lying if we said we didn't all want to be in Group B, but in the end that group contained Harriet, Sonya, Erik, Felix, James, Maria, Lydia, and a group of other Gladers I didn't know. I was glad that at least I was glad that Bonnie and Lorna would stay with me, though I also wished they had been able to stay within the safety of the Map Room. I could see Felix and Lorna hugging and crying a little and I felt my heart break at the sight. It was terrible that they had to be separated, of all people. I wouldn't be able to cope if I had to be separate from Newt on tonight of all nights.

Gally, who had returned to the Builders, and Maria ordered their group to put up barricades at each opening to the Maze. It was a pitiful effort and I knew as much as Gally did that they wouldn't be able to stop a single Griever. They were most likely used as a way to keep everyone calm and busy…or at least that's what they were trying to do.

Minho and I got to work rounding up Gladers and waved the members of Group B into the Map Room. Harriet was the last one in and gave us a grim smile as she came up to the door. "Good luck tonight, my friends. I hope both of you survive the night." She gave Minho a pat on the shoulder. "And don't worry about your Maps, Minho. I'll continue the work we were doing previously, even with the others there. There's no point keeping secrets now. It's over, no going back now. Either we find a way out or we die trying."

"Good that," Minho agreed. We watched as she joined the others inside, then closed the door and locked it, sealing them inside for the night.

I glanced around to get a good look at the current state of the Glade. Almost every Glader from Group A had made their way inside the Homestead, where the Builders had barricaded every window in sight. We jogged over and helped Newt and Bonnie make sure everyone made it inside. Once we were certain every Glader was in for the night, we shut the door and latched it shut.

Since most Gladers slept outside normally, packing all those bodies into the Homestead made for a tight fit. The Keepers who hadn't been placed in Group A had distributed the Gladers throughout the rooms with blankets, pillows and the occasional sleeping bag. A disturbing silence hung in the air as we worked to sort ourselves out, like everyone was too busy calculating their chances of survival to make small talk.

I found myself settled in a room upstairs with Newt, Alby, Minho and Gally. Alby and Newt sat themselves on the bed while Minho, Gally and I sat in chairs. I was worried about my friends, but I wanted to be able to stay with Newt tonight, to make sure he didn't die on me. He seemed to have similar ideas and held my hand tightly whenever we stood near each other, a worried, hard expression on his face. I doubted my own expression was much different.

"Well this is nice and cheerie," Minho sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Waiting for the Grievers to kill us, it's a lovely bedtime activity."

"Slim it, shuck-face," Alby growled. "Unfortunately, there's nothing better we can do."

"Samantha's probably preaching about the evil of Claire right now," Gally muttered, glancing at the door. "We should've put her in the Slammer; she's going to end up convincing everyone that we should stay in the Maze forever simply to keep our butts out of harm's way. Doesn't she realize we're never safe here?"

"Well she's right about one thing," I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "This is all kinda my fault. I know you guys are overjoyed to finally have a way out, but it looks like you were going to get to that eventually anyway. What I did…it's going to be the death of us all."

"Oi, don't go all self blaming on us!" Newt snapped, "I sure as shuck wouldn't be alive right now if you hadn't come up in that Box and I'm bloody ecstatic that you managed to find us a way out. Hope is what you've given us, Claire. Even if it was all a massive accident and in truth you sort of just accidentally fell off the Cliff and happened to fall into our one and only way out…it's a bloody miracle."

"Yeah, but how many are going to suffer for it?"

"Let's just hope it's not as many as it could be. Now quit boohooing about it."

"He's right," Minho chipped in. "If Harriet keeps Group B hard at work we might even have the Key nice and ready by sunrise. With that, we can escape this shuck forsaken hell hole."

"That's only if we survive until sunrise," I muttered.

"Stop being so buggin' morbid," Alby groaned. "If you keep going on like that I'll have to kill you long before the Grievers get the chance."

I tried to give him a smile, but it probably looked pitiful and fake. "Yeah, sorry, I'll do my best to stop preaching about death."

"Good that."

No one said anything else and eventually we attempted to accomplish the impossible task of sleeping. Somehow the looming thought of inevitable death seemed to disrupt our normal talent with falling asleep. I usually dropped down like a log, but tonight it was all I could do to keep my eyes shut. Several other Gladers had joined us, including Dan and Maria, and we were packed almost body to body on the floor. I was positioned in between Newt and a girl called Lucy. I opened my eyes and turned to watch Newt as he attempted to sleep; though it was clear he was doing no better than I was.

All lights had been extinguished in the Homestead, so we were left in almost pitch black, but I could still see pretty well after giving my eyes time to adjust. Almost every Glader had an electric torch by their side in case of an emergency, but I doubted we'd ever use them. When the Grievers finally did attack, no one would be eager to get a better look at the beast before it killed them.

I shuddered as I remembered the appearance of the dead Griever I had been with in the Tunnel. Newt must've sensed my movement because he opened his eyes and gave me a look of concern. I gave him a reassuring smile and wiggled closer to him. He wrapped an arm around me and rested his chin on top of my head. I could feel his chest move as he breathe and felt myself relax almost instantly. My eyelids grew heavy and finally darkness clouded my mind.

I awoke to chaos.

The sound of things breaking and people screaming was the first thing that snapped me from the comfort of sleep. I leapt to my feet and felt Newt by my side in an instant.

The room was a mess. The entire left wall was torn to shreds and blood was splattered in several places. The door was wide open and I was pretty certain the others had escaped if they hadn't been killed. "What in the name of klunk did I just sleep through?" I gasped, whirling around to face Newt.

His eyes looked haunted and scarred. "You're worst nightmare," he muttered. "Maria, Dan, and a few others were killed by the Griever. I don't think it realized you were in the room 'cause we were kind of hidden behind the bed." He nodded to the place we'd been sleeping; it was the furthest place from the window. "Everyone else is probably downstairs by now. It's madness down there, Claire. I think everyone's torn between whether they should stay inside or run to open air."

I walked over to the gaping hole in the wall, avoiding the pools of blood, and stared out. "I think they decided to go outside," I murmured grimly. Down below, a large number of Gladers were running around like chickens without heads. Six Grievers were in the Glade. Four were standing at each opening to the Maze, as if making sure no one tried to escape, and the other two were chasing numbers of Gladers. We were being hunted.

"They're looking for me," I said without thinking. "They're going to keep killing people until I'm dead." I looked up and Newt, his eyes were wet with tears.

"Don't, Claire, please don't…"

I pulled his head down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Sorry about this." I turned and ran through the door of the room. I heard Newt yell, but ignored him and ran down the hall. I dodged hundreds of shattered pieces of wood, evidence of the Griever's onslaught. I ran down the stairs, three at a time, and pushed my way through a group of panicking Gladers. I tripped once and fell to the floor, but quickly jumped to my feet and kept moving until I fell through a jagged hole where the front door used to be. It was then that I noticed several bodies lying around, but I diverted my eyes quickly and ran towards the nearest Griever.

It was chasing a small group of three Gladers. "Hey!" I screamed at it, waving my arms to grab it's attention. "Hey, slug-face!"

It halted its movements and turned to face me, making a vast number of clicking and whirring sounds. I held back the desire to run and hide, to curl up on the floor and cry, and spread my arms invitingly. "You came here for me, right? I'm the one you want! Kill me and let everyone else live, if that's what you want!" The Griever didn't respond, but observed me for a moment. The second Griever joined it and, together, they advanced.

My legs were shaking, I could feel it. They felt weak and threatened to fold, but I kept them as straight as I could. The pain in my back flared angrily and sent waves of electricity along my spine. I gritted my teeth and remained where I was. My entire body and mind was screaming at me to run from the monsters in front of my, but I forced my feet to remain firmly planted on the ground. I could hear voices shouting at me, screaming at me to run, but I ignored them. 'I have to do it for them,' I told myself, doing everything in my power to keep the overwhelming terror and panic at bay for as long as it took for the Grievers to slaughter me gruesomely.

As the two monstrosities prepared to pounce, I thought of Newt and how I would be breaking their promise. 'Again, I'm going to fail you. Again, I'm breaking our promise…" Tears streamed from my eyes and I squeezed them shut. "I'm so sorry, Newt! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I love y-'

Something smashed into my side and sent me flying through the air, ripping me out of my thoughts. For a split second I flashbacked to when a similar thing had happened with Gally and I wondered if he'd come to save me yet again. However, I knew I was wrong; this shove felt weaker.

I rolled as I hit the ground and spun to see who had pushed me.

It was Lorna.

My friend was standing in the place I had stood just moments before. Her eyes were moist with tears but she…she was smiling. I saw her mouth move as she spoke words I couldn't hear over the booming sound crashing in my skull. I stared in horror as the Grievers landed on her body with a sound too horrific to describe.

That sound would be scarred in my mind forever; as would the scene that took place before my eyes.

I watched in horror, lying silent on the ground, as the two Grievers ripped Lorna apart only to pick up the pieces and roll along on their spikes towards the South entrance to the Maze. I remained where I was for a moment; staring in a daze at the place Lorna had stood moments before…

Something opened in my heart in that moment, a hidden box I never knew existed before. From it came a series of emotions the likes of which I'd never experienced. It was cold like ice, a deep and terrible darkness with no end. It grew from the depths of my soul and clawed its way to the surface of my consciousness. It was rage. A blood curdling rage so dark and terrible there was no part of me left to be afraid.

My eyes turned towards the first Griever, my target, the focus of my hatred. I rushed forward, clearing the distance between us in a manner of seconds, and threw myself on it, grasping its body with my fingers as if they were claws. I wanted it dead. I wanted it dead NOW.

The other Griever kept moving, apparently unaware of my attack. My target, however, retaliated instantly and I felt its claws and pincers and claspers flying from all directions as it tried to throw me off. I knocked away the horrible metallic arms as I kicked the pulsating blubber of the Griever's body. I wanted to kill this Griever, not get killed by it.

I heard yells behind me and something whipped past my head and pierced a giant arm that had been about to impale me. The Griever shrieked and shook itself. I glanced over my shoulder for a moment to see Minho, Gally and a couple of other Gladers coming to my aid. "Catch!" I heard Minho call out, followed by a whistling sound.

Instinctively, I stuck out my hand and caught some sort of staff from the air. I threw myself from the Griever's back as a skinny metallic rod burst from its blubbery skin and unfolded to reveal a number of small, spinning blades that came directly at my face.

The moment I hit the ground, I fell into a roll and moved beneath the Griever, gripping the staff in my hands. In one fluid movement, I shoved the end of the staff up into the Griever's underside. I pierced its skin easily and shoved it in as far as I could. Slimy yellow goo exploded from the flesh and splashed over my body as I tried to sink my staff in further. The Griever screamed in pain and tried to attack me with its metallic arms, but Minho and the others kept it occupied. Letting out a battle cry of rage, I gave the staff one final shove and felt it pierce through the skin of the Griever's back.

Immediately, I rolled out from under the Griever and scrambled to my feet. A long blade lay on the grass nearby, broken from one of the creature's arms, and I grabbed it. Turning back, I stormed over to where the Griever was weakly battling with the others. Confident that it was as good as dead, I leapt onto its back once again and gripped the head of the staff (that turned out to have actually been a spear) to keep my balance. The extra weight proved to be too much for the Griever's legs and it crumpled beneath me. I stepped up to what I assumed was the Griever's head and stabbed the blade deep into its flesh, twisting it as I went.

The thing let out a final scream, of what might've been agony, then fell silent. Its metallic arms slowed to a stop and its limbs fell limp on the floor. As a reflex, it curled up slightly in a way similar to how spiders curl up when they die. Satisfied that it was dead, I hopped off the Griever's body and wiped goo from my face. I smelled absolutely disgusting and felt it too.

"I need a shower as soon as we get the time," I muttered dryly and looked around to assess the situation.

The other Grievers were gone; presumably back into the Maze to escape through the tunnel. Almost every building had been destroyed in some way, giant holes proving the Grievers had attacked. Dead bodies were lying here and there, but I didn't look away. Something inside me had changed and all I could feel was a cold shell of who I once was. People had died tonight, innocent people, and it was all because of me.

"Claire!"

I turned to see Minho had been talking to me. His eyes were filled with the same haunted look Newt had when I spoke to him in the Homestead. 'Do my eyes hold the same look now?' I wondered. "Sorry, Minho, I wasn't listening."

The Keeper sighed, "I know, you were staring at…them. Listen, we have to sort out the Gladers. Now that the Grievers are gone I think we'll be okay, but things are bad. Everyone's in a panic and we need to round 'em up and keep 'em calm." He wrinkled his nose, "And yeah, you're right, you will need a shower when you get the time."

"I hope it's soon," I muttered. "Where's Alby?"

"He went to open up the Map Room. After all the noise we've made, they're probably scared to death."

I felt my stomach twist at the thought of Felix. 'What am I going to tell him about Lorna? What am I going to tell Bonnie about Lorna?' Those two had been closer to Lorna than I'd have been. Felix was Lorna's shucking boyfriend and Bonnie was her best friend, what was I going to tell them? What were they going to say when they learned that Lorna had died for me?

Minho could sense the building sadness in my heart and clasped my shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Claire. Most of us are still alive and well and so are your friends. You should find them." He paused before adding, "I think you should find Newt too. That guy's probably worried sick."

My stomach twisted further at the thought of Newt. 'Newt…' Immediately, I ran towards Homestead. "NEWT?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, "NEWT, WHERE ARE YOU?!" I crashed into the Homestead where a group of crying Gladers got startled. I ignored them and charged up the stairs and burst into the room I'd left Newt in, panting heavily. "Newt? …Are you…still here?"

A shadow moved in the corner and my eyes moved to find Newt huddled in the corner. He looked up and I saw that his eyes were red and swollen. At my arrival, he threw himself at me and crushed me to his chest. He didn't say anything, just clung to me tightly and shook with silent sobs. I swallowed and wrapped my arms around him. "Not dead," I whispered quietly.

"You're bloody glad you're not dead. I would've kicked your shanky butt if you died," Newt croaked, his voice sounding hoarse. I gripped him tighter and frowned deeply, trying to sort out my emotions.

"Newt, I'm sorry. I keep breaking my promises to you. I keep throwing my life around like it's nothing even though it's everything to you…"

Newt pulled away and wiped his face clean with his sleeve. "I'll forgive you if you kiss me again," he mumbled.

I smirked and pulled his arm out of the way so I could place a long kiss on his lips. When I pulled away he still had a grim expression on his face, like he had a mountain of bad things to tell me. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Dan died," he said quietly. "It happened while you were still asleep."

I stared at him blankly for a moment and felt the void in my heart widen. "Lorna died too," I said quietly. "She died protecting me. I think the Grievers mistook her for me at the last moment because of how we switched places when they were in the middle of attacking."

Newt nodded slowly, "I'll have to thank her when I get the time. Come on, let's find the others. I think Alby's rounding everyone up with Harriet."

I followed him out of the Homestead and towards a group of Gladers that was forming outside on the grassy field that took up the centre of the Glade. Every face looked grim and depressed. I quickly found where Bonnie, Felix and Erik were sitting and joined them. We sat in silence for a while before Bonnie suddenly whispered, "Callum's dead."

I stared at her in horror and the void widened further. "What?"

Tears moistened in her eyes, but didn't fall. "I saw a Griever take him. I saw it."

I swallowed, 'Might as well tell them now.' "Lorna and Dan died too. I didn't see what happened to Dan, but Lorna died protecting me from two Grievers."

Now it was my turn to be stared at. Bonnie and Felix stared at me with too many emotions in their eyes for me to decipher. Felix broke down then and there, the deaths of both his best friend and the one he loved proving to be too much for him. Bonnie cried silently, too emotionally shaken to do anything else. Tears flowed freely and her body shook slightly, but nothing more.

Erik just looked horrified at the whole situation and sat there quietly, staring at the ground with wide eyes. "Dan, Lorna and Callum…they all died? In one night?" He pressed his head into his hands. "Is that even possible?"

No one replied. I looked up at the stars and allowed the void to grow in horrible silence.


	16. The Morning After

"Claire, Bonnie, come over here," a tired voice spoke. I turned my head slowly to see Harriet looking down at us, a grim look on her face.

"What is it?" Bonnie asked, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

"We figured out the code. We did a lot of arts and craft down there and managed to get the whole thing done." She nodded to an area behind her where Alby, Minho and Newt were staring at a piece of paper in confusion. Sonya was standing a little to their left, looking like a wrung out flannel.

"I'm guessing by your non-optimism that it makes no sense?" I grunted as I pushed myself to my feet.

"Well at least we're certain that we have the password. Five words, each with five letters, plus the word 'PUSH' and a space. That explains the five days of emptiness I mentioned before."

We walked as a trio towards the boys and Newt looked up when we approached. He took the piece of paper from Alby and handed it to me. I stared at it and Bonnie peered over my shoulder to get a closer look at it.

On the paper, six numbered words were written neatly in a column.

FLOAT

CATCH

BLEED

DEATH

STIFF

PUSH

I nodded slowly, the cogs in my brain turning steadily. "This has to be the code."

"How did you guys find it?" Minho asked Harriet, looking impressed and confused.

"It was surprisingly simple," Sonya murmured, appearing beside Harriet. "Erik was actually the one to find it. God bless the simple minded to find the simple answers."

"Basically, if you overlapped the Maps of each Section from one day, it would reveal a letter. We found twenty nine letters in that order, spelling out five letter words every five days. On the thirtieth day, the Map showed no letter, marking the end of the code. Then the new month would begin and the Maze would repeat itself…and the code."

"This is definitely it," Bonnie agreed with a nod. "So now what? We go down the rabbit hole and type in the code to reach Wonderland?"

Minho grinned, "Well done, Alice. Thankfully, I already went back to the Cliff with Sonya and marked our rabbit hole's position." He winked at me, "The thing was shuckin' hard to find, but we found it within an hour or so of chucking stones and so on. We marked it with vines. It's surprisingly small, only about a meter wide, are you sure the Grievers could even fit through it?"

"Well I guess they can if they try, but only one at a time. No wonder the other Griever that chased Gally and I in the Maze was the only one to fall off the Cliff properly. It couldn't bloody fit."

"We need to get there as fast as possible," Alby said sternly, his expression dark. "We can't risk another night in the Glade. More Grievers could come tomorrow for all we know. Too many have died already."

We all stood in grim silence for a moment, remembering the horrors of the night. Technically, they still had a couple of hours until the sun came up so it was still nighttime, but the Grievers were gone so at least the worst danger had passed.

"Let's get everyone fixed up before we go adventuring into the Maze," Bonnie said equally sternly, nodding at the group of Gladers who had settled themselves in the middle of the Glade. "We need to treat the injured, get food in our bellies, gather supplies and weapons, up their motivational levels. We can't shuck around and cry all night and day. We've just been through hell, but when you're going through hell you've got to keep going otherwise you'll never leave."

"Good that," I agreed. "We need to get people moving and at least take their minds off of…this," I gestured towards the Glade.

Harriet nodded at Alby, "Let's round up the Keepers and get everyone sorted out."

In the end, it took roughly three hours to get all the Gladers into a constant state of work. The Med-Jacks that had survived did their best to treat everyone's injuries and many of the able-bodied volunteered to help. Frypan and his Cooks prepared as much food as they could for the exhausted kids, but no one seemed particularly hungry and ended up poking at their food like it wasn't even edible in their eyes.

Those who had no specific job assigned to them were mostly those who weren't able to work. A large amount of people had avoided death, but suffered a variety of injuries varying from cuts and bruises to a severed arm. Fortunately there was only one case of a severed limb, but there were still other injuries that proved to be almost too much for the Med-Jacks to handle.

"They can't leave the Glade," a female Med-Jack I didn't know informed Alby. "I know we have to leave and we can't risk another night here but…there are simply too many injured. We could try to carry those who can't walk and do our best with the others, but how long do you think we could last like this? Not to mention that there are probably a number of Grievers left for us to fight beyond those walls anyway."

"We'll have to leave those who can't come with us," another Glader, a boy, whose name I didn't know muttered. "If it's impossible for them to come with us AND it's impossible for us to stay, we have to leave without them."

"Well I'm not leaving them here alone," the girl said firmly, glaring at the boy harshly. "You can go anywhere you want, but I it's my duty to stand by this lot and that's exactly what I plan to do."

When the pair left, Alby sighed and turned to me. "He's right, though. We can't stay here and we can't take them with us. We need to figure out who plans to stay and who plans to leave."

I nodded in understanding. It was horrible, but what choice did they have? In their situation they would only get choices between something bad and something worse. We needed to make sure as many people lived as possible, but as time went on I began to feel less and less confident about just how many of us would survive.

"We should have them start thinking about it as soon as possible," I muttered in reply. "We need to give them as much time to think about it as we can. There won't be an opportunity to change our minds after we leave."

Alby nodded and walked off in the direction of the largest group of gathered Gladers. Letting out a sigh, I began to walk towards the place I'd wanted to go to for ages: the showers.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when I realized no one was in there. Apparently no one else had been splattered by the disgusting yellow goo of a Griever, lucky them. The stuff was SERIOUSLY starting to smell and it had become almost suffocating.

I rushed to a shower near the back, just in case someone decided to have a shower themselves, and started up the water. I pulled off my clothes and dived under the cold hose, not caring about the temperature and just wanting to be clean. I grabbed a nearby bar of soap and scrubbed myself raw, not stopping until I was sure my skin was rid of the stench. Then I got to work on my hair, starting with a mountain of shampoo and rubbing it in just as thoroughly, turning my head into a cluster of soapy bubbles. After three rounds with the shampoo, I became satisfied that my hair was clean and used a quick blob of conditioner to get rid of the tangles that had formed.

At last, I was clean. I'd heard the phrase 'bathe in the blood of your enemies', but right now that was the first thing on my list of things NOT to do. I threw a glance at my dirty clothes and cursed the world for not letting me have another set of clean ones. Taking up the pile, I shoved them under the flow of water and began ridding them of blood, grime, dirt, stinky yellow slime, and several other substances I didn't want to know about. Once I was satisfied they too were clean, I wrung the water from them and hung them on the towel rack to dry.

I stood silently at the back of the shower room with a towel wrapped around me and waited for my clothes to dry enough to wear. I listened to the sound of people working in the distance, trying to distract myself from the dark thoughts that clawed at the back of my mind. Thoughts about Lorna, Dan and Callum flashed through my mind and instantly I felt my cheeks grow wet. I blinked, confused, had I cried like that before? More images flashed and I saw Lorna as she was torn apart by Grievers…

I broke down. Crouching on the floor, I pushed my face into a towel to muffle the choking sobs that occasionally escaped my mouth. My body shivered and not just from the cold. Three of my closest friends had died last night. Three. Worst of all, Lorna's death was my fault. Of course it was. If only I lead the Griever away somewhere, so that she wouldn't have been able to save me, she would still be alive. Sure, I would be dead, but I was the one who was meant to die. I was supposed to die and the Creators would try to kill me again. As soon as my body hit the ground, her death would have been for nothing.

I forced down sobs and tried to steady my breathing. I blocked out my emotions and wrapped the growing darkness in my heart around myself like a safety blanket. It wasn't good and I still felt miserable, but the pain ebbed. It was still there, I could feel it, but I could ignore it and pretend it wasn't there. I was an expert at ignoring my own emotions and shoving things to the back of my mind, I could do this.

I felt bad that I was purposely forcing myself to feel nothing over their deaths, but pain was worse. I couldn't handle the pain. It was too much. I was not a strong person. I was weak.

"I must have a low pain threshold," I croaked as I lifted my head from the towel. My voice sounded slightly hoarse and I coughed several times in attempt to clear it. I pulled on my now clean, half damp clothes and left the shower room. I felt hollow, like something had been taken from me, but I ignored it like I ignored everything else. "The pain will go away if I ignore it for long enough," I decided, but wasn't totally convinced. Something told me I'd be living with pain until the day I died.

I spent my time helping the other Gladers mindlessly. I occasionally spoke words to Gally, Bonnie, Erik, Newt, or anyone else I was able to consider a friend, but I hadn't seen Felix for a while. It worried me. The pain was hard enough for me to handle, but what about Felix? Felix, who was Lorna's boyfriend, Callum's best friend, and had been in the Glade since nearly the beginning. I located Bonnie quickly and ran over to her. "Hey, Bonnie, have you seen Felix anywhere?" I asked briskly, trying to keep a lighthearted tone in my voice.

Bonnie looked up from what she was doing and gave me a weak smile. "Sadly, no. I think he went over to the tool shed to get some equipment for the Track-Hoes. He said something about gathering any plants that were ready, just as extra food for now or later." She shrugged. "Do you want me to go look for him?"

"Yeah, thanks. I'm just a little worried about everyone, sorry."

Her weak smile became a warm one and she rubbed my shoulder comfortingly. "I know, I feel the same, it's like an unbeatable fear that someone's going to die every five seconds." She shuddered at the thought, "Or something like that."

"I get what you mean." I removed my shoulder from her grip, somehow uncomfortable despite being used to her touch. "I need to go… Let me know how Felix is doing when you find him."

Bonnie nodded, "I will." She jogged off in the direction of the orchards and I walked off to find Gally. I found him helping Minho distribute weapons to the stronger and more confident looking Gladers. Each expression went through a series of panic and fear when they first gripped their weapon, but they eventually ended with a cold, determined look. It was scary how quickly they were developing and how such traumatic circumstances were gradually becoming bearable and even normal for some. A couple of Gladers were even having a casual conversation and, as great as it was that they could remain optimistic, it creeped me out.

Gally turned to face me as soon as he noticed my presence. He sniffed, "You don't smell disgusting anymore, shank."

"Your observational abilities serve you well. Would you like to observe my fist as I smash it into your face?"

He raised his arms in peace. "Hey, I was just making an observation. That yellow slime was gross." He continued handing out weapons. "I saw, by the way."

"Saw what?"

"How you killed that Griever. I don't care if it was fluke or whatever in the Tunnel, what you did last night was no accident. You've killed two Grievers on your own now and that's something we couldn't even dream of accomplishing in the year we've been here."

"I had Minho's help," I argued, "Minho and a few others."

"He told me you were the one who did most of the work. You pierced its body and stabbed it through the head with its own claw. I don't think any of us could've done more."

"It was adrenaline," I tried to explain. "I was really…angry."

Gally nodded and decided not to press further in his quest to convince me that I was some sort of hero or savior. "I'm pretty sure all of us are angry in one way or another right now," Minho said almost cheerfully, joining us. "You should see Samantha; she's still preaching about how evil you are and how the Creators will protect us if we do as they say. She sounds like some kind of religious cult leader."

I grimaced, "Does anyone believe her?"

Minho shrugged. "A few maybe, but thankfully most of us are able to see sense. Those whom she's managed to gather have all decided they won't leave the Glade." He spat on the floor, disgusted. "I understand that there are those who won't leave for the sake of the injured, but this and that are different. They're practically taking sides with the people who put us here!"

"People will accept anything when they're desperate," I murmured quietly. "They're just afraid."

"Well of course they're afraid," Minho retorted. "We're all afraid. I'm afraid, you're afraid, Gally's afraid, Alby's afraid, Newt's afraid, Bonnie's afraid, we're all shucking afraid. You'd have to be crazy to not be absolutely terrified in this situation; we're literally standing at death's door. We aren't waiting there quietly, either; we're basically lobbing cats at it."

I felt myself chuckle, "Shuck it, Minho, you really are the Queen of Sass."

The Keeper grinned widely and resumed his work with Gally following close behind. I decided to join them and for about twenty minutes I felt almost happy and forgot my problems for a while.

Then Bonnie returned.

Her body shook slightly with exhaustion, she must've run all the way there from the orchards, and her eyes looked like pools of despair. I crouched a little and tried to level our heads. "Bonnie, what is it? Where's Felix?"

"He's dead," she said without making eye contact. My body stiffened. 'Dead…?'

"What do you mean?" I blurted out, not wanting to believe it.

"I mean he's dead!" Bonnie snapped, her eyes moistened a little. "I found him lying on the ground behind the orchards in the corner of the Maze. His wrists were bleeding…I think he did it himself." Her voice quieted at that last part and faded into silence. I didn't know how to respond.

'Felix…killed himself?' I couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true, but Bonnie's eyes showed no hint of a lie. In fact, they looked more like they wanted to un-see something she'd be reliving in her dreams for years. I waited for tears to come, but none came. The dark wall I had wrapped around myself was blocking out the pain. I felt bad that I couldn't feel anything, but was also glad because if anyone else died I didn't think I'd be able to take it.

I pulled Bonnie into a tight hug, not sure what else to do, and held her in silence. After a minute or so, Minho appeared and comforted Bonnie, rubbing her back in soothing circles. Sensing Bonnie begin to calm, I left them and went to find Newt.

Four of my friends are dead.


	17. The Plan

I found Newt up a tree in the Deadheads. It was our tree, the one covered in my many doodles. I climbed to his position quickly, moving amongst the familiar branches with ease. "Hey, Newt," I said, my voice quieter than intended, as I joined him.

He nodded in response, taking his eyes from a drawing he'd been studying carefully to look at me. "How's your back?"

I shrugged, settling into a sitting position on my regular branch. "Not bad. The pain has pretty much gone away; it mostly aches now." I rubbed my back and forced a smile.

Newt noticed immediately. "Something's wrong," he said, leaning forwards and furrowing his eyebrows with concern.

I considered lying and trying to hide it, but figured he would find out sooner or later anyway. "Felix died," I murmured, avoiding eye contact. "The news of Lorna, Callum and Dan's deaths must've been too much for him…"

I glanced up at him for a glimpse of his reaction. His eyes had widened with horror and surprise and his mouth was slightly ajar. "You mean he…?"

"Yeah."

We were silent for a few moments before Newt awkwardly repositioned himself so that he was closer and pulled me into a hug. I realized that my hands were shaking and quickly tried to still them. "Newt, I'm fine," I assured him quietly.

He pulled away slightly and gave me a look that stated clearly that he didn't believe me. "Claire, I know you're not fine. Saying that you're fine is literally just announcing that you're not fine. Fine doesn't mean fine anymore, it's worse than terrible. I hate to be blunt but most of your friends are dead now, right? If you're fine after that then you're seriously a psychopath."

I felt tears sting my eyes but I did my best to hold them back. "Then I must be a psychopath because I'm okay."

"Claire, you don't need to build walls, you can trust me. Please let me in, rely on me a little, please," Newt was practically begging me and my heart clenched.

I shook my head, releasing my fake smile and biting my lip instead. "I can't, Newt, I can't."

"What are you afraid of?" He asked me gently, rubbing the back of my head in comfortingly.

"I-I don't know, I just…" I shook my head again and buried my face into his chest. "I don't want to feel it, Newt. If…if I let you see it then I'll have to see it myself, you know?"

Newt wrapped his free hand around me and rested his chin on my head. "You shouldn't try to bury it all, Claire. You don't need to be afraid, I'm right here. You aren't alone, okay? Do you understand?" He lifted my chin so that I was forced to look into his eyes. "I'm here for you, Claire. As long as I'm around, you'll never be alone."

With that one, single assurance the gates opened. The walls I had built crumbled easily in front of Newt and I cried in his arms more than I could remember crying at any other point in the two months I'd been in the Glade. Through the choking sobs I poured my heart out to Newt. I told him everything: my pain, my worries, my hopes, my dreams, my everything. He listened to everything carefully and supportively, more than I could ever have hoped he could. I knew in an instant that I'd never let him go. I had never dared to open my heart to anyone, not completely. Even Bonnie and Lorna never learned everything about me. I was reserved, it was a natural part of my being, but here was Newt, the love of my life, who had been able to break everything down using only a few words. It was almost scary.

After what must've been somewhere over an hour, the tears stopped and I regained control of myself. Steadily, I rubbed my cheeks dry with my sleeve and sighed, still resting my forehead on Newt's chest. He shifted a little, sensing the change in my demeanor. "You alright?"

"Yeah," I nodded, grinning. "I'm fine."

"Oi," he laughed, knocking the back of my head lightly with his knuckles, "we just went through this!"

I lifted my head to look at him, still smiling, "Is that so?"

Before Newt could reply, a voice called out from below. "Newt?! Claire?! You up there?!"

I froze and stared down with wide eyes. "What the- Who is that?"

Newt shrugged, looking as surprised as I probably did. "Didn't you say you never showed anyone this place?"

"Never," I confirmed before glancing down again. "I think it was Gally…"

"Seriously?" Newt groaned, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "What the hell is that bloody shank doing here?"

"I guess we should check it out," I suggested before sliding down the tree, ignoring Newt's protests. When my feet hit the ground, I whirled around and found Gally easily.

He had his arms folded and was giving me a stern look. "Just WHAT do you think you're doing?! You two have been missing for over an hour, what were you doing here?!"

"Having a romantic morning," Newt answered, dropping down with a thump. "Thanks for ruining it, by the way."

I rolled my eyes, "Crying my eyes out in front of you doesn't count as 'romantic', Newt."

Gally's eyes widened a little. "You were crying?"

I shuffled my feet uncomfortably, "Uh…yeah. Please, don't ask about it. What did you need, Gally?"

The Keeper immediately shifted into a more serious expression. "Harriet called for both of you. They're going to discuss the details for our plan to go through the Tunnel."

I exchanged a glance with Newt and we both nodded to signal we were ready to go. Gally immediately took us to the Map Room where Alby, Harriet, Minho, and Bonnie were waiting. Bonnie's eyes looked red from crying, but she seemed okay. Minho was standing protectively close to her, sending her the occasional concerned glance to check she was okay.

'Those two are definitely dating,' I thought as I joined them around the table. All the chairs had been removed to use for the barricades the Builders had made last night, so we were forced to stand.

"Now that we're all here," Alby growled stiffly, "let's get this discussion started. Anyone have any great ideas to start us off?"

"Well, first and foremost, we should leave as soon as bloody possible," Newt replied flatly. "We can't risk another night and, if we're lucky, the Grievers won't be out and about."

"It's still just as dangerous," Bonnie replied. "We don't know what we can predict anymore. Just last night the doors were wide open for all the Griever's of the world, something that had never happened before. We should assume we know as much as we did in that first month in the Glade: nothing."

"It's still the safest option," Harriet sighed. "Better safe than sorry."

"Okay, so if we don't find Grievers we'll skip through nice and dandy," Alby said. "What about if we do find Grievers?"

"We should sent one or two people down the Tunnel first to type the code while the rest of us hold the Grievers off," Minho suggested. "Then, when the door or whatever opens, they call us down and we all make a run for it."

Harriet grimaced, "Any better ideas?"

"I actually think that's pretty good," I said, speaking at last. "Except maybe the last bit; we can't risk becoming a disorganized bundle of fools."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "We should split everyone into numbered teams, then, when given the call, each team could go down one at a time. The strongest of us would be in the final teams and the weakest in the first."

Harriet sighed, "Alright then. Who should be the two to go down the Tunnel and type the code."

"Claire," Minho said instantly, startling us. "She's the only one of us who has actually been down that hole; she'll know what she's doing more than the rest of us. She'll know what to expect."

Alby nodded and looked at me. "Who do you think should accompany you?"

I thought about it for a moment before answering, "It should be someone fast and reliable, someone I can trust to not be an idiot."

"Me?" Newt asked, pointing at himself.

I laughed and was about to object when Harriet nodded, smirking a little. "No, Newt is actually alright. He fits the description of fast and reliable, he's a Runner after all, and I'm sure you can trust him not to be an idiot."

"Minho's also a Runner," I blurted out. "What about him?"

Alby shook his head, "We need as many strong hands as we can get out there. I'd actually want you on our last team as well, considering you're the only one of us to actually kill a Griever…"

"Minho helped me with that," I interjected.

"Oh, shut up about Minho," Newt whined. "You're gonna make me jealous."

"I can't help being fabulous," Minho answered innocently, raising his hands and earning himself a small glare from Bonnie.

"Could everyone slim it for five seconds?!" Alby snapped. "Newt, you're going to go down the Tunnel with Claire and make sure she lives to tell about it. All we need to do is sort our Gladers into these teams and supply them with the weapons they're going to need."

"What if the Tunnel is closed?" I asked, the horrifying idea suddenly popping into my head. "The Creators could have done it; we don't know they didn't…"

"If that Tunnel is closed, we're all dead," Minho chirped optimistically. "So you'd better hope it's open or you're going to be Griever pudding before nightfall."

"Good that," Harriet nodded. "There are almost forty kids left in this Glade, more than I could've hoped for after last night's attack. Four of those kids are unfit to leave, including our unconscious Greenie who never woke up. Another five or six others decided they don't want to leave and would rather take their chances here with the Creators or some klunk like that. That leaves no more than twenty of us for this journey. I suggest we split into five groups of four. Minho," she pointed at the Keeper of the Runners, "I'm putting you in charge of Group Five. Gather the three strongest Glades you can think of and appoint the fourth with the job of being leader of Group Four. Keep going down in scale of strength until everyone who is leaving is in a Group."

Minho nodded without arguing, folding his arms. "Good that."

"I think this settles everything as decided," Alby said, making his way towards the Map Room door. "We should get to work telling everyone the plan. Work fast, Minho. We need to be ready as soon as possible." He left without another word. Harriet, Bonnie and Minho were quick to follow.

I glanced over at Newt, "Do you think we'll survive?"

"I don't know what I think; I just know what I hope." He took my hand slowly, "I only hope we survive."

I nodded, "Same here. Come on; let's help the others get everyone ready. We should try to brief them all on the plan without scaring them into staying in the Glade."

We left and got to work explaining the plan to every Glader we could find and tried desperately to convince those who had decided to stay to come with us. We managed to convince one young girl to come with us, Jessie, but no others would change their minds.

"You're taking them all to die!" I heard Samantha scream at me a couple of times when I walked within earshot. "Everyone's going to die and it's all…your…fault!" I did my best to ignore her deranged screaming; telling myself she'd gone mad, but part of me believed she was right. So many had died already, who else would follow them to the grave?

At some point I found myself sitting on a log beside Erik, who was staring nervously at the West Maze door. He held a long knife in his hands, but his hands were shaking so much I was afraid he'd cut himself so I took it from him carefully. "Which Group did they assign you to?" I asked.

"Group Two. I'm surprised, would've expected them to put me in Group One because of how klunk-headed I am."

I patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Hey, just because you're a klunk-head doesn't mean you're a weakling. All that destruction you cause in the Glade just needs to be focused on the Grievers." I let out a weak chuckle. "Who knows? Maybe your hidden talent is Griever slaying."

Erik snorted, "Sure."

"Erik the Griever Slayer," I said slowly, holding back a laugh. "I like it. It's quite charming."

"Shut it, shuck-face," he whined, hitting me weakly.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. I promise." I got to my feet and put the knife back into Erik's hands, which had stopped shaking. "I'll see you at the South Door when Alby and Harriet come to get us," I said shortly and sprinted off to gather my own gear. I pulled on the backpack I always took into the Maze with me. Apparently Sonya had found it lying by the Cliff the day after I found the Tunnel and brought it back for me. I didn't mind that it was stained with my blood, it felt nostalgic and I must've developed some sort of emotional attachment for the inanimate object during my time as a Runner. It had served me well.

I packed it full of my usual gear and had Minho let me into the basement under the Homestead so I could gather a spear. From experience I knew a spear would be my best weapon against the Grievers, it did the job and it did it well.

"Claire, it's time."

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Newt standing halfway down the wooden staircase. I nodded and quickly grabbed the spear I'd been looking at. "I'm all set."

We ran to the South door where the group of Gladers were waiting. Once everyone was present Harriet and Alby nodded to one another. "Alright everyone, let's do this. Don't get killed and get your butts through that tunnel. With any luck, we'll make it to nightfall. Give them hell, Gladers, and make the Creators rue the day they thought they could keep us trapped in this shuck of a Maze."

A few cheers erupted from the crowd, then a few more. Others joined in until everyone was whooping and cheering, eventually settling into a chant, repeating the word 'Gladers' loud and clear for all the world to hear. I couldn't hold back the grin that spread over my face as I joined the chanting.

"Let's get this party started!" I heard Minho whoop as he ran into the Maze, followed by Alby, Harriet and Bonnie. I followed with Newt at my side and others followed behind us.

'Tonight could be our last night on this Earth,' I thought as I ran, but didn't lose heart. 'But if I'm destined to go down you can sure as hell guarantee I'll be dragging every Griever and Creator down with me!'


	18. The Escape

I kept my pace steady as I ran with the group of Gladers along the stone pathways of the Maze. Minho lead the group with Sonya, Newt and I ran a while behind them, then Hawk and Maria ran a while behind us, and Gally and Lydia brought up the rear of the group. We were distributed to keep an eye on everyone and make sure no one dawdled or got lost. We knew the Maze better than anyone so it was up to us to keep everyone safe. I'd grown used to running in the Maze, but our current situation was completely different to anything I had known before. The sounds of shuffling feet echoed up the walls constantly and the red lights of the beetle blades were appearing more frequently than I'd ever seen. The Creators were definitely watching them.

Thankfully, the wound on my back had basically healed by now. The fact that I'd been able to help kill a Griever the night before practically proved my good health. Sure, it hurt every now and then, but it was nothing compared to how it felt when I first got those wounds. Plus, even if the injury DID start acting up, I had a bunch of strong guy-friends to help me! Somehow I'd managed to make friends with Minho, Gally and Newt, the three strongest guys in the Glade…in my opinion.

I looked around to check on the group's current whereabouts. We had spread out across the full width of the corridor, running at a steady but quick pace. Several of the non-Runners already looked pretty worn out, but no one complained. Every step was agonizing. I could feel the previous confidence in the air turning into dread as we moved deeper into the Maze, towards the Cliff. We kept an eye out for any Grievers, but none appeared. We were left undisturbed for our entire journey.

Finally, after the longest hour of my life, the short corridor to the right that led to the Cliff came into sight. I let out an audible sigh of relief, glad to finally be close. Minho stopped short of the corridor and held up a hand to tell the group to stop.

At a speed which surprised me, the group stilled its movements. Gladers leaned on the wall, their knees, or simply crouched on the floor, gasping for breath but also trying to keep quiet. Everyone was afraid of what could be waiting for them round that corner.

With my heart thumping and beads of sweat forming on my skin, Newt and I moved closer to where Minho and Sonya were standing. The Keeper turned to face us, a look of horror on his face. "Shuck my life."

Terror gripped my heart instantly. "What is it?" I whispered to him, trying to hide the fear in my voice.

"Do you hear it?" Sonya hissed; a look of equal terror on her face, but also a hint of indifference that worried me.

Newt shook his head and Minho crept ahead and peeked around the sharp edge of stone, looking toward the Cliff. As soon as he looked, he jerked his head back and turned to face us yet again. His face was slightly pale and his eyes were wide. "Oh shuck," he moaning, rubbing his face with his hands. "There go my hopes and dreams…"

As soon as he said those words, I heard the sound Sonya had been referring to. Griever sounds. They were exactly like the sounds I'd heard from my other Griever encounters, except these were quieter and less frequent, as if the creatures were unmoving. There were definitely a lot of them, how I could tell I didn't know, and with that realization I felt the colour drain from my face.

"There's at least half a dozen of them," Minho whispered. "They're just waiting there…waiting for us."

The Keeper's words confirmed my assumption and I let out a small groan of despair. Could we really fight off that many Grievers with the few people they had left?

Alby and Harriet moved up the line of waiting Gladers to join them. Minho's words must've already reached them through Glader Gossip because their expressions were just as grim as mine felt. "Well we knew we'd have a fight. We prepared for this," Harriet stated almost calmly, though her eyes betrayed her true feelings. She was as terrified as everyone else.

"We know the plan," Alby said quietly, looking just as worried as Harriet. I knew I could share their feelings. It had been easy enough to talk about it, but now that the enemy was lying right around the corner all I could feel was fear. I regretted coming here and for a moment wished I had stayed in the Glade, but quickly shook off that feeling.

"At least we can say we tried," I muttered grimly.

"We may not be able to say anything by the time this is over," Minho sighed, cracking his knuckled. He gave us a weak grin, trying to hide his true feelings with sarcasm.

"Maybe we can try to lead them away," Newt suggested. "Send a few Runners to lead them down the other corridors and get everyone else into the Tunnel. We Runners know our way around so we can find our way back fairly easily. You just have to be ready to go ASAP."

"That's suicide," Harriet snapped.

"Not if we're fast enough," I argued. "I'll do it myself if I have to. You don't need me to type in the code and I've already told you what to expect, so technically you don't need me."

She looked like she was about to argue back, but Sonya stopped her with a wave of her hand. "Too late," she muttered. "There are others."

I realized her hand was outstretched and pointing town the corridor they were standing in. At the end a group of Grievers were standing towards them, spikes flaring and metal arms groping. They began to move down the corridor towards us. I was about to say something when I heard sounds from the other end of the long corridor and I looked to see even more Grievers.

"They're bloody everywhere!" Newt yelled, not bothering to be quiet anymore.

"No, klunk-head, I'm pretty sure they're up your shucking butt," Minho growled, turning his fear into aggression.

The Gladers surged around us and formed a tight group, forcing us to move out into the open intersection where the Cliff corridor met the one we were in. I saw the gang of Grievers standing between us and the Cliff, as if protecting it from us. Their spikes were extended menacingly and their moist skin pulsed in and out, other than that they made no visible movements. The other two groups of Grievers had closed in and stopped several metres from the Gladers, watching and waiting for us to act.

The ball was in our court.

I could feel myself trembling as the group of Gladers compressed into a tighter group and I was pressed between Newt and Harriet. Newt was gripping my shoulders tightly, not daring to let go in case I disappeared somehow. No one said a word. The only sounds in the Maze were the eerie moans and clicks of machinery.

"They're waiting for us to make the first move," I said shakily, answering the question that was lying in everyone's heads. "If we're going to do something we should carry out our plan."

"Will it even work?" I heard a Glader ask from somewhere behind me.

"Who knows?" Minho's voice muttered to my left, "But it's all we've got. I suggest you ready your weapons 'cause we don't want to make any mistakes here."

"We should try to make a path for Newt and Claire," Alby answered stiffly. "But I think we should try to get each Group in as quickly as possible, none of this 'wait for you two to open the door' klunk. Just move as quickly as possible and don't get-"

The boy was unable to finish his sentence because the sounds of the Grievers revving to life cut him off. I looked up in terror and realized that every group of Grievers had started moving. Spikes were popping in and out of blubbery skin and metallic sounds filled the air with menace and hunger. In unison, the creatures moved forward and their instrument-tipped arms unfolded, pointing at the Gladers with the intention of killing them. I stared in horror as they charged forwards.

As the Gladers froze in terror, Minho spurred into action. "We head straight for the Cliff! Go through the middle and pin those things against the walls! Make a path for Claire and Newt as though your lives depend on it!"

'Chances are that they do depend on it,' I thought as Minho ran forward towards the Grievers standing between them and the Cliff. Sonya and Alby followed, and then the rest of the Gladers followed as a tight pack of roaring kids. They charged into a bloody battle with their weapons raised and I had to grip onto Newt to avoid being swept along with them. I could sense their fear as they passed, but ignored it as best I could and waiting for an opening. Whatever happened I just needed to focus on reaching the Tunnel and putting in that code.

A few moments later I noticed a narrow aisle form in the middle of the corridor as the Gladers faught wildly to pin the Grievers down enough for us to get past. Grabbing Newt's arm, I sprinted ahead and ran at full speed through the gap. I gripped my spear tightly as I ran into the bloody, scream-filled hallway of doom. 'Get to the Cliff,' I forced myself to think, 'just get to that bloody Cliff.'

War raged on all sides as Gladers fought madly with nothing but panic-induced adrenaline to drive them forwards. Sounds of terror, human screams, metal clashing on metal, motors roaring, and various other sounds I don't care to name echoed off the walls in an endless stream of horror. I didn't dare glance left or right and focused ahead, through the narrow gap formed by the Gladers.

I felt claws and sharp objects stab me in several places as I ran, but I never stopped. I never let go of Newt's arm. I always pushed forwards, dodging both metal and human limbs as I went by.

Suddenly the Cliff was in front of me, opening out into the sky of midday, and I had to skid to a stop to prevent myself from toppling over the edge. Hanging out, in the middle of thin air, were ivy vines stretching to nowhere.

'That must be from when Minho and Sonya marked the entrance of the Tunnel,' I thought, remembering how Minho had told me about it while I was out of commission due to my back injury. They'd tossed the loose ends of ivy over the Cliff, until they hit the hole, where now six or seven vines ran from te stone edge to an invisible rough square, hovering in the empty sky, where they disappeared into nothingness.

"You first," Newt said firmly from behind and I didn't have the strength to argue.

I tightened the straps on my backpack and held my spear in my right fist. Steeling my nerves, I planted my left foot on the very edge of the Cliff and jumped, catapulting up and into the air. I pulled my spear close to my chest and pointed stiffened my body, pointing my toes down.

'God, I hope I don't miss it,' I thought just before I hit the hole.

A line of icy cold shot through my skin as I entered the hole, which started at my feet and continued up my whole body until it went past my head. The world dark around me as I thumped to a landing on a slippery surface and fell backwards, landing on the body of the Griever which hadn't moved from where I left it days ago. Thankfully, it wasn't rotting at all and didn't smell any worse than a living Griever…which wasn't saying much at all.

I got to my feet and moved away just as Newt fell through the hole himself. He landed awkwardly on top of the Griever and I marveled at how miraculous it was that neither of us had been impaled on its claws or spikes. I wasted no time whipping a torch from my bag and flicking the switch, illuminating the room with the light.

It was a lot bigger than I had first imagined, but I paid no attention to it. Leaving Newt to gawk at the dead Griever, I ran to the end of the tunnel where the computer screen was illuminated in a dim green light. Tucking the torch under my arm I began hastily punching in the letters one by one. FLOAT was over in a manner of seconds.

I heard another Glader fall through the hole by the time I reached BLEED. Another fell through before I finished DEATH and another once I finished STIFF. I let out a small breath and ducked down, slamming the button with my fist. Instantly, everything went perfectly silent. Then, without warning, the door slid open. I fell back, startled, but quickly regained my wits and got to my feet.

"I opened the door," I whispered, awe struck. Excitement ripped through my body and I spun round, flashing my light ahead so I could see the small group of Gladers that had formed. "The door is open!"

Newt nodded, grinning at me, "Aye, you have, now let's just get the other Gladers through this shuck hole and get out of here."

The smile that had formed on my face faded. The other Gladers. I ran over to them and stared up at the square. "It's been a bit too long since another person has come down," James whispered next to me, he had been in Group One.

As if in response to his statement, Alby suddenly fell through the hole. I let out a surprised yelp, "Alby?!"

Newt reached out to steady the boy as he threatened to fall over. He recovered from the fall quickly and locked eyes with me. "The Grievers shut down," he said simply.

I stared at him dumbly, "They what?"

"It must've happened when you typed in the code, which I assume you've done." He glanced behind me, down the Tunnel of darkness. "The others are recovering their wits at the moment; they'll be down in a minute. We lost a lot of people. It's a mess of blood up there, you wouldn't want to see it, believe me."

I shuddered at the thought. "Well it's certainly a pleasant surprise. I hate to think of what might've happened if we had to follow through with the plan entirely." I shook my head grimly, "Any people left up there now would probably be dead."

"Let's just wait for the others," Newt sighd, sitting down and leaning against the curved tunnel wall.

Before long, several other boys and girls joined them, including Clint, Maria, Lydia, Sonya, and Harriet. I glanced around worriedly and walked up to Maria. "Have you seen Bonnie or Erik?" I asked.

Maria's eyes flickered nervously and she looked at the floor. "N-no, I don't know about Bonnie, but I did see Erik…"

"And?" I pressed.

She bit her lip and looked up at me. "I saw him jump for the hole marked by vines but he missed. He fell off the Cliff…"

I stared at her in stunned horror. Erik…died? I pushed down the sob that threatened to break loose and turned away quickly. I walked over to Newt and buried myself in his arms without an explanation, but he seemed to understand. He must've heard. "I'm so sorry, Claire," he whispered to me gently, but I only focused on making my sobs as quiet as possible as a cried.

'Another friend gone,' I thought miserably. 'All I have now is Bonnie. She's my last friend in the world.' I stopped and pulled away from Newt to stare up at him in horror. "Bonnie," I said quietly. "Where's Bonnie?!"

As if in answer, Frypan fell through the hole. He searched for me quickly, a horrible expression of worry and sadness on his face. Once he found me, he rushed up and gripped my wrists. "You need to get up there right now," he said firmly.

Terror gripped my heart as I feared the worst, "What is it?"

"It's Bonnie."

He didn't need to say anything else. Immediately, I was scaling the Griever's body like a monkey up a tree and leapt through the hole with twice as much force I used when I first jumped through it. A moment of terror gripped me as I sailed through open air before I found myself gripping the wall desperately. Quickly, a pair of strong hands gripped me and lifted me up and onto the Cliff. It was Gally.

His eyes were filled with sadness as he pointed towards the Maze wall nearby. Alby had been right, the corridor WAS a bloodbath and the image of the numerous dead bodies littering the floor would scar my mind forever.

I saw Bonnie lying against the stone wall with Minho beside her, gripping her hand tightly and whispering words to her. Forgetting everything about my surroundings, I ran to them, tears already forming in my eyes. 'No,' I thought desperately, 'not again, you can't take her. She's my best friend, my last, if you take her now…'

I fell to my knees at her side and reached out with shaking hands. "B-Bonnie? Are you okay? What happened…?" My eyes fell to her chest…it was drenched in blood. Her clothes were ripped diagonally across her front, revealing a deep wound that I knew could never be healed. "Where's Clint?" I stuttered, forcing down the lump that was forming in my throat. Red was everywhere. It oozed from her mouth, her wounds, and her nose, everywhere. "Oh God, Bonnie," I choked, "Don't die, oh please, don't…" I looked up at Minho, not caring that my eyes were already dripping with tears. "Minho, we have to help. We have to do something we have to-" I stopped myself, noticing how tears had already formed in the Keeper's eyes as well. He looked at me with a weak helplessness that I had never seen in him before. He looked broken and only looked at me briefly before returning his eyes to Bonnie's weak but still breathing body.

Her breaths were raspy and labored, but her expression was calm and she stared up at Minho with a peaceful expression. She hadn't even noticed my presence. "D-don't fret, Minho….I don't feel…any pain… You're here, that's all I need….to know…"

"Shh," Minho hushed her, his voice shaking. "I'm here; it's okay. Don't talk, you need to rest, Bonnie."

Bonnie didn't seem to hear him. "Just hold me…Minho…stay with me…." A racking cough burst from her lungs, throwing a spray of blood.

Minho soothed her quickly, "It's alright, Bonnie. I'm here, I'll never leave you." Tears were falling down his cheeks now but his expression showed that he was doing his best to hold it back, for her sake if anyone's.

"I'm…..I-I'm….tired….Minho….."

"It's okay, go to sleep," he hushed her, his voice cracking. "I'll stay with you till you're sleeping. I'll be here when you wake up."

Bonnie smiled faintly and her eyes drifted over and lay on mine for a moment. She opened her mouth weakly to say something but never got the chance. He eyes went out of focus and her body went limp as one final breath wheezed from her mouth.

I stared at her. My last friend.

She was gone.


	19. The Slide

I stared blankly at her lifeless body for a few moments, unable to register what just happened. Minho carefully ran his fingers over Bonnie's face, closing her eyes. I didn't say anything as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and stood up, rubbing tears away on his sleeve. I could only look at the girl who had been my last friend.

My vision blurred and I realized I was crying. The void in my heart enveloped everything and I knew I was alone. _"You're taking them all to die," _Samantha's voice rang through my head, _"Everyone's going to die and it's all…your…fault!"_

She had been right, she'd always been right. When she said 'everyone' she didn't mean all the Gladers, she meant all my friends. Dan, Callum, Lorna, Felix, Erik and Bonnie…they were all dead…dead because of me.

"I did this to them," I said, my voice sounded weaker and more broken than I'd ever heard it before. "Everyone's dead because of me, because of my mistakes…"

"Finding us a way out of the Maze wasn't a mistake, Claire," Gally's voice spoke softly from behind me.

Anger burst from within me and I shot up, whirling round to face him. "Maybe not, but this," I gestured wildly to the many dead bodies that lay around us, "is DEFINITELY a mistake!"

Gally frowned, pain in his eyes, "Aye, but it's not your fault…"

"Of course it bloody is!" I spat, "If I never came up in that Box, Bonnie, Lorna…everyone'd still be alive." I gripped my head with my hands, finding it hard to focus as my mind overflowed with pain and horrors. "I'd never have found the way out before the Creators thought we were ready, they wouldn't have sent the Grievers and everyone would still be alive in the Glade!" I balled my hands into fists and slammed them into my head. I didn't deserve to live. They were all gone, why was I the only one to live? Why me? "I'd give my freedom to get them back," I sobbed, looking up at Gally in desperation. His face was blurry through the tears so I couldn't see what expression he was making, but I could guess. "Why didn't that Griever kill me in the Maze? Why did Lorna save my life? I should've taken Bonnie with me down that Tunnel…" I screamed with frustration and hit myself again, angry at myself, at everything, "WHY DIDN'T THEY KILL ME?!"

"I'm sure they meant to," Minho growled to my left, causing me to freeze. "They obviously did their best. More of us would've lived otherwise."

My stomach twisted sharply at his words, but I removed my hands from my head and instead used them to rub the tears from my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Minho," I croaked, turning to look at him. He looked drained and tired, but his eyes burned with venom.

"Don't be sorry," he said with a surprisingly gentle voice considering the fact that he was radiating hatred and anger of the purest form. "It really isn't your fault, Claire. I don't believe it, Bonnie didn't believe it, none of us believe it."

I tried to argue, but he held up a hand sharply. "Don't argue with me, shank!" He snarled, "Don't you dare believe for a minute that you should die. Without you we'd have had to spend even more time in that shucking Maze and I don't know about you, maybe it's because you were only there for two months, but I don't want to spend another minute in this place. If you never came up in that Box, Gally and Newt would be dead. This I know. A lot of deaths might've been avoided if you'd never come up, yes, but I'm still buggin' glad you did." His voice had gradually become quiet and was almost a whisper now. "If you need to blame someone for this, blame the Creators. They're the shanks who put us through this hell, they're the ones who sent the Grievers, built the Maze and shoved us all in that shucking Box!"

His words hit me like a hammer and my pain gradually melted away. I stared at the Keeper, thankful for the change of perspective. The guilt I felt was still crushing, but I grasped at the chance to push the blame onto the Creators. It was true after all. Even if I was partially to blame for my friend's deaths, without the Creators they would've been guaranteed a normal life. A normal life outside the Maze where they would have their memories, their families, their old friends, everything they had before that they could no longer remember.

My blood boiled as my thoughts whirred wildly in my head. My hatred, my anger, my pain, I directed everything at the Creators. If they were the ones who did it, if they were the ones who forced death upon each of my friends, I would get my revenge.

A wave of calm finally settled as I accepted my emotions. I let my eyes drift over the bodies of the many Gladers lying dead on the floor of the stone corridor. My breath caught in my throat when I recognized the face of a young girl…Jessie, the girl Gally and I had convinced to come with us. Her eyes were frozen in terror and pain; she had not died a peaceful death. She'd been afraid and alone and no one had been there to help her.

"Let's go," I said stiffly, turning away from the girl's body and heading towards the Cliff. I avoided looking at the bodies, too afraid to know who had lived and who had died. I wouldn't be able to take much more guilt.

I leapt over the Cliff once again, landing on the floor of the Tunnel moments later. This time I didn't fall and grabbed one of the dead Griever's claws to keep my balance. Newt was by my side in a second. "Claire, is everything okay? Where's-" He stopped, as if he had suddenly noticed something. Immediately his face dropped and his eyes only showed sadness. He knew.

"Minho and Gally are just coming through," I said quietly. "We're the last ones." I glanced around, "How many are there?"

"There are fourteen of us if we include you, Gally and Minho," Harriet answered, appearing out of nowhere.

"Fourteen?!" I gasped in horror, "But we started off with almost thirty, didn't we? That means..."

"Basically half of us died," Minho finished for me, apparently just arriving.

I looked around hurriedly, checking the faces in the Tunnel. I counted all thirteen other Gladers: Alby, Harriet, Sonya, James, Gally, Minho, Newt, Frypan, Clint, Maria, Lydia, and three other Gladers I hadn't spoken to before. We were the last ones.

I let out a painful sigh, thinking about those who weren't here. Hawk was the only Runner who had died during our escape from the Maze. I returned to Newt's side and held his hand for support and, as if reading my emotions, he squeezed it.

After resting for a while and gathering ourselves, Harriet stood up and faced the group of battered Gladers. "Let's get out of here," she said firmly. "Right now."

"Where to?" Clint asked.

She looked at me expectantly and I pointed down the long tunnel. "A door opened after I finished typing the code and pushed the button."

Harriet nodded, "Then let's go." She turned and began walking up the tunnel without waiting for a response. Alby ushered the other Gladers to follow her and one by one they went. I followed Minho and Newt walked close behind me.

As I walked, thoughts kept swirling in my mind. I pushed down the overwhelming thought that we weren't safe yet, that danger still lay in wait at the end of the tunnel. Despite the horror and loss I'd just suffered, it felt too easy to simply leave now. The Creators wouldn't let us leave this easily, not after what we've done. For some reason, I thought back to our mysterious girl-Greenie who never woke up. _"You are not ready to leave,"_ she had said. What did that even mean anyway?

A sudden shriek startled me from my thoughts and I focused. The shriek was followed by another, then another. Their yells seemed to grow quiet after they started, as if they were quickly becoming further away…or falling?

Whispers travelled down the line and soon Minho turned to us and said, "Looks like it ends in a slide and shoots straight down. Pass it on."

I stared ahead blankly as Newt passed on the message. _A slide? _ "Is this a joke?" I hissed to Newt. "Surely the Creators are making fun of us?"

He shrugged, "Who knows? Either way, I hope it's a fun slide."

I rolled my eyes and returned to looking into the darkness ahead, illuminated only by the occasional flashlight. One by one the Gladers' dwindling shouts and hoots burst from up ahead. A couple of them seemed to enjoy the ride…or at least they tried to.

Then, all too quickly, it was Minho's turn and he slipped down the slide with an almost cheerful hoot. I followed him before I could tell myself not to, knowing that whatever the Creators had left for them was better than staying in the Maze.

My body shot down a steep decline, slick with oily goo that smelled exactly like the yellow slime that came from the Grievers. I held back bile as I twisted my body to get my feet in front of me. I didn't try to slow myself and simply lay back, trying to enjoy the strange feeling of falling that hopefully wouldn't end in death.

I could hear the screams of other Gladers echoing off the tunnel walls as we slid down the strange slide. I imagined the slide to be like a giant esophagus that let straight to a giant Griever's stomach and quickly shook off the image. Talk about strange ideas…

Suddenly the smells in the tunnel changed into a sort of rotting smell and I gagged, the image in my mind becoming more real than ever. I could easily picture the rotting bodies of all my dead friends down there, being digested by the massive Griever. It was horrible…really, really horrible.

Soon the tunnel began to twist into a sort of spiral and I felt myself begin to slow down. I felt Newt's feet slam into my head and cursed at him angrily just before my own feet smacked into Minho's head, earning myself my own set of curses.

Time stretched out endlessly and I pressed my finger into the goo as we slid past, drawing a long line along the slide wall. 'When will it end?' I groaned inwardly, beginning to feel ill due to the constant turning. Then, as if answering my question, Minho let out a sharp cry. A moment later, I flew out of the tunnel and landed awkwardly on top of him.

Bodies scrambled everywhere, people on top of people. I let out a hiss of pain as Newt landed painfully on my back, reminding me that my past injury was still there. I crawled away from the group, avoiding the flailing limbs as more Gladers fell out of the tunnel from whence they came. When I was finally clear of the others, I collapsed onto my back and gasped for breath. The fall had knocked the wind out of me.

Once I had caught my breath, I sat up and had a look at where we were. I gasped at what I saw and quickly scooted over to where the others were slowly forming a group, staring about at their surroundings. If I'd ever seen anything like it, I couldn't remember.

We were in a huge underground chamber big enough to hold nine or ten Homesteads. Every wall I could see was covered in all sorts of machinery: wires, computers, ducts, various things I couldn't put a name to. It was like a science lab of electronics. To one side of the room there was a row of forty or so large white pods that looked like giant coffins. Across from that on the other side stood large glass doors, although the lighting prevented us from seeing what lay on the other side. Directly in front of us stood a row of twenty or so darkly dinged windows that stretched across the room horizontally, from one side to the other.

I wasn't particularly interested in the room, though. I had lost interest rather quickly once I noticed one rather alarming detail.

In front of the darkly tinged windows, several armed men in black military uniform crouched with guns pointed directly at us. I tried to get a look at them but I couldn't see their faces behind their black masks. They were unmoving and silent, as if waiting for an order.

The Gladers around me shrank back in fear, yelling in surprise. "They're going to shoot us!" Someone yelled, but Alby quickly shut them up.

"They aren't moving, slinthead," he hissed, a hint of worry in his voice. "Don't make any sudden movements."

"We can't just wait here for them to kill us!" Maria said quietly.

"What are they waiting for?" I asked, squinting at our…captors?

A loud, slow beeping sound filled the air, making me jump. It came from everywhere, booming and echoing throughout the rom. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and looked around for anything that was different.

Minho appeared beside me and patted my shoulder to grab my attention. He pointed to one of the glass doors and I realized that one of the doors was swinging toward us.

The beeping stopped and a silence settled on us as we stared unanimously at the door. I expected some sort of horrible creature similar to a Griever to crawl through the door to kill them all, so I was fairly surprised to see two teenagers about our age walk through.

One was a boy with brown hair and an expressionless face. His brown eyes expressed disappointment and sadness, but other than that he seemed to lack any emotion that I could see. He walked halfway towards us, keeping away from the line of fire of the soldier's guns, then stopped, watching us with curious eyes.

The other was a beautiful girl with long black hair that flowed past her shoulders. Her eyes burned bright blue and betrayed only the slightest hint of sadness. She was certainly better at hiding whatever emotions she felt than the boy. She followed him steadily and stopped with him, standing to his right.

"This is an unexpected ending to our experiment," the boy said, single handedly destroying the silence in the room. "It's rather disappointing, actually. We didn't predict this kind of…" he glanced at me, "…hiccup in our plans."

"And what exactly are those plans?!" Gally snarled at the boy, his eyes becoming orbs of hatred for the boy.

"We would love to tell you everything," the girl answered, "but there is little point. You won't remember it for long. Unfortunately, we can't leave things as they are. We tried to warn you, but, as expected, you were too determined to leave. Of course, that was the initial idea, but you weren't supposed to escape until later."

I narrowed my eyes, "That's what the Greenie said…"

The girl's eyes locked with mine and for a moment I saw a flash of blame in her eyes…she was blaming me for whatever situation they were in. "Indeed, she was the warning we sent. You should have listened to that girl, Samantha, she knew what was necessary."

"Now we have to start over," the boy said decisively. "Although this time we're going to do things a little differently; we can't risk having another accident like this after all."

Before any of us could register what was happening, a series of explosions rocked the room with a thunderous boom. The guns…

Pain ripped through my right shoulder and I yelled in pain, the impact knocking me to the floor. It was less painful than I'd imagined getting shot could feel like and I realized I'd fallen mostly from shock than force.

I tried to lift my head but my mind swirled and grew hazy. Suddenly everything was blurry and sounds muffled as my mind faded. What was happening to me?

"Don't worry," I heard the girl's voice say calmly, though I could barely hear it over the low humming that was steadily filling my brain. "You won't die from something like this."

Then my world turned black.


	20. The End

I never thought I'd get the chance to experience regaining consciousness and believing I was in the afterlife twice, but when I opened my eyes to see nothing but white I realized I should've considered that thought a lot more than I did.

My body didn't ache and I felt no pain, neither from my gunshot wound nor from my back. In fact, all my physical pain had disappeared along with fatigue, although I felt a little dizzy and my brain was still foggy. That was also one of the leading reasons why I thought I must be dead. It was different from the time when I woke up in the Tunnel. At that time the only reason I didn't feel as much pain as I could have was because my body was numb from blood loss. The pain and darkness made me think I was in hell. Now…there was nothing.

Of course that didn't make me feel safe or calm. I sat up groggily, faltering slightly, and eventually managed to get into a sitting position. I glanced around and knew immediately that I was far from heaven, or any sort of afterlife; I was in a room.

The room was pure white; it had white walls, a white ceiling, and a white floor. There were no windows or doors that I could see and the room was illuminated with bright white lights. My watch and my bag had been taken from me, even my clothes were gone and had been exchanged for white cotton ones that felt kind of like pajamas. I also felt clean, which was odd considering I just experienced the grossest slide ride ever and stormed through a battle of Grievers. I didn't think about it though; the idea of someone cleaning and changing my unconscious body sent shivers down my spine.

The room was padded and looked like something you'd expect in an insane asylum. 'Maybe that's where I am,' I thought as I studied a small, almost-hidden stainless-steel toilet in the corner. 'Maybe everything about the Maze was some sort of schizophrenic meltdown and I'm actually beginning to recover.'

_'Not likely,' _another voice hissed from somewhere deeper in my brain.

"Well," I spoke aloud, trying to fill the silence with my own voice, which was croaky because apparently I hadn't used it for a long time, making me question how long I was unconscious for, "if I really am crazy there's not much I can do about it." I pushed myself to my feet and almost toppled over from the sudden head rush and saw stars for several seconds. Once the pounding in my head resided and my vision was clear I stood up fully and walked over to the one object in the padded room that was a colour other than white.

A desk.

Why there was a desk with me I couldn't comprehend, so I decided to investigate and see what the fuss was all about. It was old and rather ugly, though I couldn't really judge because I knew nothing about desks other than what my limited memory would allow. It was made of wood and had nothing particularly special about it. There were four drawers on its right underside, and I decided to search them. I pulled out the first one and pushed my hand deep inside to feel around. After a minute I decided that it was completely empty and moved on to the second. This one also came up empty, as did the third. The bottom drawer however held a clipboard with several pieces of paper attached to it.

Excited to have found something, I pulled the clipboard out and sat on the desk to read it. A single red word had been stamped diagonally over the sheet. _FAILED_. What on earth did that mean? Other than that, the top sheet was completely blank except for the words:

World. In. Catastrophe. Killzone. Experiment. Department.

W.I.C.K.E.D.

Subject Profile

The Glitch

Property of WICKED

"The words from the Maze," I muttered, tracing the letters with my fingers. Why was 'failed' stamped over these forms? What did it all mean? And what does 'The Glitch' mean? It was a subject profile, so this must be the file of some test subject somewhere. "Maybe the Glitch is the name of the subject," I mumbled absently as I removed the first sheet and placed it face-down on the desk. The second sheet looked a lot more interesting. At the top it read "Subject 13 – The Glitch". The words that were written directly under that title made my blood turn cold.

Claire. Full Name Classified.

"I'm the Glitch," I whispered in horror, my brain working like lightning. 'So I'm a test subject? Was the Maze nothing but a test? I have a full name? Why is it classified? What the shuck is going on here?! What is this?!

My hands started shaking a little in anger and confusion but I ignored them, determined to continue studying the sheet. My eyes travelled down and saw that below those words was a picture of a young girl who I guessed was me. She looked about 14 years old with long blonde hair and blue eyes that appeared tired and lacking any obvious emotion. "Is that really what I look like?" I grimaced. Sure, I looked pretty, but I didn't seem very happy about it. Next to the image, on the right, a paragraph of information was waiting to be read.

Subject 13 has shown to be introverted but demonstrates a fierce loyalty to those she has formed close relationships with. Is calm in situations other subjects struggle with, remaining collected but ever confused. Has formed a particularly close relationship with Subject 5.

Subject is unpredictable in her actions and appears to apply little consideration to possible consequences. Precautionary surveillance suggested.

'I sound like a lovely person,' I thought quietly, looking at the picture of myself. I couldn't believe it. Was that really all that the Maze had been; a massive experiment? Everyone had simply been lab rats running around searching for cheese? Was that really what all our pain and suffering amounted to? Anger boiled in my heart at the idea of the Creators watching everyone die one by one without lifting a single finger to help all for a bloody experiment.

I removed the page and placed it, face down, on top of the first sheet, creating the beginning of a small pile. The third sheet was mostly graphs and statistics that I didn't really understand; something about brain patterns and emotional responses. I removed the page quickly, not really interested. There were only two pages left but they also seemed to contain nothing but graphs and charts and a time line of something I didn't really understand. Reactions and responses seemed to be the main theme, but that was all I could pick up. Was that what the Creators were experimenting for; brain patterns?

I shook my head slowly, trying to control the anger that was rising in the pit of my stomach. "The thing they're doing these experiments for had better be bloody important," I spat.

"Oh, but it is," an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind, startling me out of my seat on the desk. I whirled around, lifting the clipboard to use as a makeshift weapon, and would've attacked the person right there and then if there hadn't been a small child with them.

The child was a small boy, rather chubby looking, with dark curly hair and looked barely older than ten years old. He was looking up at me with wide, curious eyes and appeared nervous; half hiding behind the woman whom I assumed had been the one to speak. She was tall and thin, wearing a white uniform that matched everything in the room, and had a warm smile spread across her face.

"I'm sorry for startling you," she said sweetly, her voice sounded annoying to my ears. "We noticed that you woke up, but the Assistant Director is not yet ready to see you. We didn't expect you to regain consciousness until later, so…" She shrugged as if that explained everything.

I glared at her, pouring my hatred into the stare. "Where am I?" I demanded, "And who the shuck are you?"

The woman gasped in fake surprise. I immediately hated this woman, she reminded me of a snake, a terrible lying snake. Her every action appeared fake and pre-determined, as if she was well prepared for our meeting. She planned to toy with me, I could see it in her eyes.

"Silly me, I can't believe I forgot my manners. My name is Allison, and this here," she gestured to the small boy next to her, "is little Chuckie. Technically he's not supposed to be here but I decided that you would be less likely to attempt murder if I had a child with me, especially since he's one of our youngest." She nodded at my still-raised clipboard as if to prove she'd made the right decision.

'He must be another subject,' I thought darkly, my hatred for the Creators only rising. How could they do such things to children who were so young and innocent? "You still haven't answered my first question," I snarled, not lowering the board in my hands. The papers I'd placed on the desk had been blown off and were lying haphazardly on the padded floor and it was only as I glanced down at them that I noticed the door.

It was white and padded, just like the walls, which was probably why I hadn't noticed it until it opened. Allison and Chuckie were stood just outside the door in what appeared to be a white hallway. The outside of the door was smooth and metallic, the complete opposite of what the inside was like, and a simple metal handle jutted out that the woman had been gripping since she first opened it. It was probably an 'extra precaution' considering my 'unpredictable actions'.

"You're right," Allison agreed, grinning like a cat. "But I'm afraid I'll have to leave those questions to be answered by the Assistant Director. I don't have the authority to give you any actual information after all." She pushed several strands of hair behind her ear, still smiling at me. "He'll arrive in approximately twenty minutes. You may take the time to think of all the questions you want answers to." She paused for a few moments, as if considering her next words. "You won't get another chance like this later," she said finally. Without waiting for an answer, she slammed the door shut and it sealed with a small series of clicks.

I let out a heavy sigh and lowered the clipboard at last, my hands still shaking from emotions I could no longer decipher. Taking deep breaths in attempt to control myself, I began to gather the scattered sheets of paper from the floor. Once I had all five I stacked them neatly in order and reattached them to the clipboard. I re-read my profile page several times and studied my picture right up to the moment the door opened for a second time. This time I had settled into a sitting position on the floor, huddled almost comfortably in the corner. The padded walls served as nice pillows and it was as good as any sofa I could imagine, even though I'd never actually seen a sofa never mind sat on one.

The person who walked in this time was a thin man with greasy, gray hair, a long nose, and a rat-like face. He wore a white suit that added to the strange obsession these people seemed to have with the colour white, and seemed even less likable than Allison. The man didn't acknowledge me or look at me as he entered the room dragging a white straight-backed chair behind him. He shut the door and set the chair behind the desk before taking a seat. Finally, once comfortable, he looked directly at me with his weasel-like eyes. They were cold and unforgiving, he seemed angry at me for something and I could guess what it was.

The man stretched out a hand and gestured for me to give him the clipboard. I considered rebelling against him, but one look in those ice cold eyes told me there'd be bad consequences so instead I opted for tossing him the board with indifference. It sailed past his hand and clattered noisily onto the desk, settling nicely in the middle.

"I am Assistant Director Janson," the man began, picking up the clipboard and sifting through the papers. "You have caused quite a bit of trouble for us, Thirteen. Your mistakes have lead to the deaths of many valuable subjects, a complete waste of over a year of work, and a large cut in our funds. Fortunately we were able to collect a reasonable number of subjects and their chances of survival have been heightened considerably. However, before I get into detail, I believe you have a number of questions for me?"

I narrowed my eyes, "Yes, I do. For starters, where the hell am I?"

"You are currently inside one of the many solitary confinement rooms stationed inside the WICKED main building."

"What is WICKED?" I asked. "I've seen those words everywhere."

"It stands for World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department, as you clearly already know. It is the name of an organization that is searching for the cure of a terrible virus that we call the Flare."

I had no idea what that was. "The Flare?"

The Assistant Director sighed, "A lot has happened that you do not remember, Thirteen. I'll save myself the effort of explaining it and just allow you to remember."

I was about to ask what he was talking about when a sharp pain exploded in my head. I gasped, crumpling deeper into my corner in the room. Without warning, a thousand images flashed in my mind. Oh, they were horrible. Images of people screaming, children crying, buildings burning, dead bodies everywhere, people acting crazy, oh the Cranks, the Flare, the Sun, the fires, the pain, the suffering, everything. "Make it STOP!" I screamed, my hands crushing into the sides of my head in attempt to stop the flow of memories. My eyes were squeezed shut and I was curled into a ball on the floor, sobbing from the pain of the memories. I had been very small at the time, but the memories were as clear as the day they were formed.

"We usually do this while you're asleep," I heard Janson's voice cut through the pain in my head. "But I really don't have the time to spare you that sort of luxury. I have a lot of work to do thanks to you."

I gritted my teeth and forced my eyes open, glaring at the man through my tears. "What IS this?!"

"Your memories of the Flare and also the Sun Flares that scorched our world and threw it into chaos, I honestly can't be bothered to tell you about it." He seemed bored and had begun studying my files. "This is the reason why we've done everything."

"How does a disease that turns people into crazy cannibals have anything to do with shoving a bunch of children into a Maze with no memories?"

Janson smiled slightly and looked up, "Everything, my dear. Everything we've done until now has been calculated for one purpose alone: to analyze your brain patterns and build a blueprint of them. The goal is to use this blueprint to develop a cure for the Flare."

I frowned, rubbing my head in attempt to soothe the pain that was now slowly dying. "Again, how does shoving a bunch of children into a place of torture and watching most of them die gruesome deaths have ANYTHING to do with finding a cure for the Flare? What good would a blueprint of our brains do?"

The man groaned, like a grown person would do if they saw someone who couldn't understand a simple maths problem. He pointed at me, "You are immune to it."

I blinked, surprised and confused at his response. "What?"

"You have the Flare. It lives in every part of your body but it has no effect on you, which is clear because you're not tumbling down the road of insanity. You're a member of an extremely rare group of people who are immune to the Flare."

I stared at him in stunned silence, unable to fully understand the words that came out of his mouth. "We're immune to the Flare?"

"Yes," Janson seemingly pleased that they were making progress.

As much as I didn't want to believe a single word that came out of the dirty rat's mouth, it made sense. Now that I could remember the Flare it seemed even clearer. "The Flare is a virus that attacks the brain," I said slowly, breaking things down in my mind. "And that's why you're studying our brain patterns. By finding what makes those who are immune different from everyone else you could potentially find the cure?"

"Exactly," Janson agreed. "Once we'd discovered there were people like you we sought out the best and the brightest among you. That is how WICKED was born. Of course, some of our subjects are not immune and were chosen as control subjects to keep the data in context."

That last statement worried me. "Who isn't immune?"

"You don't need to worry about that," he said, waving my question away. "They won't be leaving this facility for years now, thanks to what you've done." His eyes grew dark with anger once more, "Although in a way it's a good thing. Many of our employees disagreed with how we were conducting such severe experiments on those as young as you. Now, we'll be able to continue with the Maze Project for a number of years until we deem them ready." He paused, thinking, "We'll need to make it a bit more of a challenge as well. Apparently joining both males and females as a collective adds various perspectives to solving the Maze, too many perspectives. It wasn't enough of a challenge…"

I snorted, "How could you even say that?"

Janson shrugged, "You weren't even supposed to solve the thing until a couple more years had passed. Now you've ruined everything and we're going to have to start over."

I froze, "Star over? You mean our escape meant nothing?" Samantha had been right; I realized in despair, we should've stayed in the Maze. Even if we thought we were running for freedom we were just running in one fat circle of death. "We're just going right back to the beginning?"

"Yes, and this time we've decided to split the males and females into two separate groups. Group A and Group B. The boys will go to Group A and the Girls will go to Group B. Those who survived what we are now calling Group Zero will have their memories re-wiped so that they forget everything once more before going up in that Box. Until then we've decided to keep them in a sleep state. It will take a few months to get the second Maze ready after all…"

"Months?! That place was freakin' huge! How can you manage that in mere months?"

"Technology has advanced greatly compared to what little you remember. Unfortunately, you'll never get the chance to experience those pleasures."

I forced myself not to shrink back into the corner. "Are you going to put me in Group B?" I tried to keep my voice from shaking.

Suddenly, Janson burst out laughing. It was horrible, like a dying cat being thrown against a wall. "Oh, no, Claire, we wouldn't allow you back into one of our Trials ever again." He waved the files at me. "You've been deemed 'unfit' for the Trials. Your unpredictable behavior makes you a liability and we can't risk any more of your mistakes." He grinned wickedly, "I guess we could call you the anomaly in our experiment. As the Glitch, you have been aptly named. It suits you. As does your subject number; thirteen IS an unlucky number after all."

I tipped my head a little to one side, confused. "If I'm not going to Group B then where am I going?"

Janson chuckled and got out of his seat. "Do you think we're going to let you go? After all you've done? No, Claire, you're not going anywhere." He began to walk towards the door, "This is where it ends for you."

My brain started burning. "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to ignore the pulsing pain that began to grow not just in my head but throughout my entire body.

The man opened the door and glanced back at where I was still curled up on the floor. A smile spread across his face, an evil smile full of poison and malice. "You'll see." Without even the simplest of elaborations, he stepped out into the hallway and slammed the door shut.

I shivered on the floor even though it wasn't cold. Panic seeped into every corner of my being. 'Am I going to die?' I thought in horror, staring about the room for any sign of danger. When nothing happened for over half an hour, the panic began to die down and I dropped into an abyss of pain and sadness.

I thought of Newt, Minho, and Gally, the only people alive in the world who I could say I really trusted. I cared about everyone in the Glade, but they were my family. I loved all of them, Newt especially, and hoped they were all safe.

"Stay alive, guys," I muttered, not hearing a faint hissing sound that began to fill the room, "live and get out of here. Beat WICKED's fat butt to beyond and be done with them. I don't think I'll be around to see it but you'd better get the hell away from them. Don't let them claim you. Don't let them take over. Never give in to their variables. Never give up."

I finally noticed the mist that was steadily filling the room and would've raised my head from the floor if my body didn't feel so tired. Something in my chest began to feel wrong, like I felt sick.

"Poison," I breathed, barely a whisper. 'It's poisonous gas.'

Each breath steadily became laboured and painful and my body ached with exhaustion. The gas…it was draining me. I tried to fight it for a moment but quickly gave in. I didn't have the energy to fight. Not anymore.

_"Don't worry, Claire,"_ a familiar voice whispered to me. It was Lorna. _"You'll be fine, it's not as bad as people make it sound."_

_"Yeah,"_ another voice chimed in. It was Bonnie. _"Besides, we're all waiting for you. Go to sleep, it'll be okay."_

Their voices made me feel at ease and my mind sank deeper into the ever-growing abyss.

So…tired…

No energy….to fight…

…Sleep…..

I only thought of one thing as my mind slowly faded into darkness. It wasn't a bad thought. It was warm and filled my with happiness and joy as it welcomed me with open arms.

Newt.


	21. Preview of the sequel

Okay, guys, I've decided to give you a tiny preview of The Maze Part Two (I'll come up with a better name later). It's one of Claire's memories. I hope you enjoy it!

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"Listen to me, you have to stay quiet."

"Dad? What's going on? Where's Mum?"

"We-We're playing a game, sweetie. Hide and seek, you remember how to play that right?"

"Oh, I like hide and seek! I'm always reeeeaaally good at finding places to hide!"

"Well, we're playing hide and seek. We need to find a place to hide where no one can find us. Can you help me?"

I nodded. "Is Phil playing too? Is he looking for us?"

"Yes, yes, but we need to hide. Remember, we need to be really quiet. Not a sound, okay? It's really important. Promise you won't make a sound."

"I promise."

Dad smiled and I watched in silence as he cracked the front door of our house open a little to peer outside. There had been a lot of scary noises out there for ages but it went quiet a while ago. I wanted to ask Dad what was going on but I remembered my promise to keep quiet and kept my mouth shut. After a few minutes, he turned away from the door and lifted me into his arms. I gripped his shoulder with one hand and held onto Green Lion with the other. Green Lion was a small beanie green lion toy. The fur of his mane was worn out and matted, but he was precious to me.

Together, Dad and I left our house. I didn't like how dark it was. The street lights weren't working so we only had the light of the moon and several fires that burned in the street to light our way. There was a weird feeling in my stomach and I found myself checking over Dad's shoulder for anyone who could be with us. The road was empty, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we weren't alone. Dad was being careful, I could sense he was scared too. Keeping to the edges of buildings, we walked far away from home, farther than I'd ever been. I tried to remember the way we went, but after a while I gave up trying. Dad's eyes were hard and his eyebrows were furrowed with concentration. _What's going on? Why are we leaving home in the middle of the night? Will Phil be able to find us if we go this far from home? Maybe Mum is helping him…_

"Just a little further…" I heard Dad whisper in my ear. His breath was becoming irregular and laboured. He had this weird look in his eye now, one that I'd noticed a few times. I'd noticed it in Mum and Phil's eyes a lot before Dad took them upstairs a few days ago. An unfocused, dazed look, like they weren't really in reality anymore. I didn't like it. I shook his shoulder a little, bringing his eyes back into focus. He looked down at me and smiled weakly. "Just a little further…"

I could her noises in the distance now, loud banging noises, like crackling but louder and more aggressive. It reminded me of the sounds that would come from the TV when Dad and Phil watched movies I wasn't allowed to watch. Phil would always tease me and say I wasn't old enough, even though he was only two years older than me. Still, this sound was scary…plus there was the roaring sound. Screaming, yelling, explosions, it wasn't the sort of stuff you'd want to be heading towards and yet that's where we were going. I looked desperately at my dad but his eyes had gone weird again. "Dad?" I whimpered.

"Shh," he hissed, tightening his grip on me. I shrank in his arms and kept quiet as he edged around the corner of another building.

Absolute chaos, that's the only way I could describe it.

I didn't really want to describe it.

The _people._

_What was happening to them?_

Everywhere, men and women were being gunned down. Armed men in uniform stood behind barricades, firing into the swarm of humans that surged before them. People were falling everywhere. Red everywhere…

"The Cranks," I heard my dad whisper. I flinched at the word. I'd heard so much about them. The grown-ups talked about them a lot in hushed whispers. Mum used to always get concerned about them, said something about her friend Louise getting sick and turning into a Crank. As far as I knew they were sick people who were dangerous. That's how Mum and Dad always described them.

Suddenly, we were moving forward towards the fences. I screamed and clung to Dad as a man with a bloody face staggered towards us with a crazed look in his eyes. Dad kicked him away and kept running. "Don't shoot, I have a child!" He yelled, stepping over several corpses as he continued towards the barricades. I glanced up and caught the eye of one of the armed men in black uniform.

"Is she immune?" The soldier yelled over the noise, his voice emotionless and robotic. He almost sounded bored.

"Yes! Please take her; it's not safe here anymore! My wife…my son…" He stopped, tears gathering in his eyes. "You have to take her…"

The soldier snapped a few orders to the men nearby and a gap opened for us in the barricade. "Pass us the girl."

We were among the Cranks now. They mostly ignored us, but a few sniffed at me curiously. Dad growled at the ones who came too close and they usually shrank back and the few that ignored his snarls were shot by the armed men. We forced our way forward and when we were right in front of the gap I felt Dad begin to lift me away from him.

"No!" I screamed, holding on tighter.

"You have to go."

"No, you can't leave me!" I felt rough gloved hands grab me from behind the barrier. "No! Dad, please!"

I saw tears stream down my dad's face, but he was giving me a pained smile. "I love you."

The hands tore me away from him and lifted me to safety as the barricade closed again and Dad's face disappeared into the horde of Cranks. "_DAD!"_


	22. LINK TO PART TWO

I've made the new thing for Part Two. You can find it here: s/11652120/1/The-Scorch-Dreams-Part-Two-of-The-Maze-Group-0

I hope you enjoy it as much as you've hopefully enjoyed the first one :)

Happy reading~


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